https://nanobioletters.com/ 3954 Article Volume 11, Issue 4, 2022, 3954 - 3960 https://doi.org/10.33263/LIANBS114.39543960 Sardine Scales: A Promising Source of Marine Biomaterials Fatima Zahra Aboudamia 1,2* , Fadna Aatab 1 , Abderrahim Jaouad 2 , Mohamed Bouchdoug 2 , Mariem Kharroubi 1 1. Laboratory of Biotechnologies, Specialized Center of Valorization and Technology of Sea Products, National Institute of Fisheries Research (INRH), Agadir, Morocco 2. Research Team of Innovation and Sustainable Development & Expertise in Green Chemistry, "ERIDDECV", Department of Chemistry, Faculty of science, Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakesh, Morocco * Correspondence: aboudamia.fatimazahra@gmail.com; Scopus Author ID 57216953825 Received: 4.09.2021; Revised: 12.10.2021; Accepted: 16.10.2021; Published: 26.10.2021 Abstract: The current paper highlighted the physicochemical characteristics of sardine scales (S.pilchardus), which are considered hitherto as solid marine litter despite their richness on biomaterials of high added value. The collected fish scales were washed thoroughly, dried, and grounded into a powder. The prepared samples were characterized using infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy coupled with electron dispersive spectroscopy (SEM/EDS). The findings of (FT-IR); (XRD); and (EDS) show that sardine scales contain both organic and inorganic phases. The (SEM) analysis has revealed that sardine scales have a porous and fibrous structure. The physicochemical results confirm that S.pilchardus scales are a pioneering source of marine biomaterials. Keywords: fish by-products; fish scales; marine biomaterials; S.pilchardus; solid marine litter. © 2021 by the authors. This article is an open-access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). 1. Introduction In worldwide, the high consumption of fish is growing day after day because of its benefits on human health. In parallel with this excessive consumption, a significant increase in marine by-products is observed in fishing areas. For example, fish filleting, salting, and smoking produce an enormous amount of by-products (50–75% of processed fish), with a total of 3.17 million tons/year [1]. The fish canning industry is considered the second source of by- products (30 – 65% of processed fish), with a total of 1.5 million tons/year [1]. In Morocco, the processing companies of fishery products occupy a privileged place in the national economy. It processes nearly 70% of coastal fishing catches and exports about 85% of its production over hundreds of countries in the five continents. Furthermore, Sardina .pilchardus is one of the most important commercial pelagic fish species. The annual sardine processing industries generate a considerable amount of waste such as viscera, bones, heads, tails, etc scales considered as marine by-products. Figure 1 summarizes the different by-products obtained from common sardine (S.pilchardus).