The brave fishermen of the Sicilian company Rosso di Mazara, with their two offshore vessels, capture the precious crustacean of the Mediterranean Sea, considered by many as the best prawn in the world.
Nicola Giacalone, one of the company owners, recalls: “We’ve approached the concept of sustainable fishing in 2014, when we met Paolo Bray, Founder and Director of Friend of the Sea, and he motivated us to develop appropriate waste management practices”.
The search for ways to reduce and reuse waste led the company to turn fishery discards into a high value product. Tons of broken prawns heads get stuck in nets and were normally discarded. These are now instead recovered, freeze dried to produce a red prawn nectar which, adds Giacalone, “is extremely appreciated by chefs all over the world”.
Recent scientific studies found Astazanthin, a caratenoid with powerful antioxidant properties, in red prawn carapace.
“We are now looking for a partner – concludes Giacalone – who could help us produce nutritional supplements with Astaxanthin from our red prawns”.
