Jellyfishing in Europe: Current Status, Knowledge Gaps, and Future Directions towards a Sustainable Practice

Nutritional composition assessment and antimicrobial activity of Catostylus perezi, jellyfish blooms along the coast of Pakistan: an awareness to avoid food neophobia in Pakistan

This study highlighted the nutritional importance of Catostylus perezi (an edible jellyfish) in Pakistan; a society where a large proportion of the population suffers from malnutrition, while C. perezi, a blessing of the sea, is wasted or exported. In the present study, the amino acid and fatty acid profiles of the oral arms and umbrella of C. perezi were determined by HPLC. The total amino acid concentration (ΣAA) in the oral arms was 151.19 mg/100g, while in the umbrella it was 100.17 mg/100g. The ratio of total essential amino acids to total non-essential amino acids (TEAA/TNEAA) was 0.72 in the oral arms, while it was 0.70 in the umbrella. Higher amount of ω-3 with lower ratio of ω-6/ω-3 in oral arms (0.52), rather umbrella (ω-6/ω-3 ratio; 0.62). The antimicrobial activity, MIC, MBC, and MFC of the whole body of the edible jellyfish were determined. On the basis of polarity, different solvents were used, e.g. water, methanol, dichloromethane, chloroform, and n-hexane. Among all the extracts, the water extract gave the highest ZOI against C. xerosis (29 mm), while the n-hexane extract gave the lowest ZOI against S. aureus (MRSA) ATCC 33591 (8.20 mm). The water extract of C. perezi had high potential against C. xerosis with the highest AMI and PAI (1.53 and 153, respectively), while the same extract had the highest TAI against E. coli (81.43 mL/g). For fungi/yeast, the methanolic extract had the highest ZOI (29.70 mm) against S. cerevisiae and the lowest MIC/MFC (2.40 µg/mL) against the same pathogen. The n-Hexane extract gave the lowest ZOI (11.10 mm) against P. variotii and the highest MIC/MFC (31.60 µg/mL) against Penicillium sp. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to analyse the disintegrating effect of the extracts (with the highest antimicrobial effect) on the cells of selected Gram-positive, Gram-negative and yeast species. The amino acid and fatty acid profiles and antimicrobial assessment showed that C. perezi has great nutritional importance, so the use of C. perezi as food is highly recommended for the Pakistani community.

Jellyfishes—Significant Marine Resources with Potential in the Wound-Healing Process: A Review

The wound-healing process is a significant area of interest in the medical field, and it is influenced by both external and patient-specific factors. The aim of this review paper is to highlight the proven wound-healing potential of the biocompounds found in jellyfish (such as polysaccharide compounds, collagen, collagen peptides and amino acids). There are aspects of the wound-healing process that can benefit from polysaccharides (JSPs) and collagen-based materials, as these materials have been shown to limit exposure to bacteria and promote tissue regeneration. A second demonstrated benefit of jellyfish-derived biocompounds is their immunostimulatory effects on growth factors such as (TNF-α), (IFN-γ) and (TGF), which are involved in wound healing. A third benefit of collagens and polysaccharides (JSP) is their antioxidant action. Aspects related to chronic wound care are specifically addressed, and within this general theme, molecular pathways related to tissue regeneration are explored in depth. Only distinct varieties of jellyfish that are specifically enriched in the biocompounds involved in these pathways and live in European marine habitats are presented. The advantages of jellyfish collagens over mammalian collagens are highlighted by the fact that jellyfish collagens are not considered transmitters of diseases (spongiform encephalopathy) or various allergic reactions. Jellyfish collagen extracts stimulate an immune response in vivo without inducing allergic complications. More studies are needed to explore more varieties of jellyfish that can be exploited for their biocomponents, which may be useful in wound healing.

Jellyfish as Food: A Narrative Review

Studies toward a sustainable future conducted by international organizations uniformly agree about having to change some of our present consumer behaviors. Regarding food, suggestions include eating locally farmed, less industrialized and renewable food to promote health and circularity, and limiting waste. Jellyfish are frequently sorted and discarded after being caught with fish in fishing nets and gear. In contrast, we propose utilizing this by-catch as food. This review discusses the economic value and sustainability of jellyfish, the technologies used to prepare them for human consumption, their nutritional profile and health impacts and, finally, consumer acceptability and sensory evaluation of jellyfish food products. This discussion is critical for promoting jellyfish as an important aquatic resource to support blue and circular economies.

Jellyfish from Fisheries By-Catches as a Sustainable Source of High-Value Compounds with Biotechnological Applications

The world’s population growth and consequent increased demand for food, energy and materials together with the decrease of some natural resources have highlighted the compelling need to use sustainably existing resources and find alternative sources to satisfy the needs of growing and longer-aging populations. In this review, we explore the potential use of a specific fisheries by-catch, jellyfish, as a sustainable source of high-value compounds. Jellyfish are often caught up with fish into fishing gear and nets, then sorted and discarded. Conversely, we suggest that this by-catch may be used to obtain food, nutraceutical products, collagen, toxins and fluorescent compounds to be used for biomedical applications and mucus for biomaterials. These applications are based on studies which indicate the feasibility of using jellyfish for biotechnology. Because jellyfish exhibit seasonal fluctuations in abundance, jellyfish by-catches likely follow the same pattern. Therefore, this resource may not be constantly available throughout the year, so the exploitation of the variable abundances needs to be optimized. Despite the lack of data about jellyfish by-catches, the high value of their compounds and their wide range of applications suggest that jellyfish by-catches are a resource which is discarded at present, but needs to be re-evaluated for exploitation within the context of a circular economy in the era of zero waste.