In Europe, research in this field is less advanced than in the US or Japan. A new scientific interest group, Gispromar, has been created for proteine-related marine organisms.
Subjects being examined include marine enzymes and other biological elements.
The production of hydrolysis products is part of an effort also undertaken in Norway and Canada to obtain cosmetic and food products, including food supplements for elderly people and infants. There remain regulatory problems at an international level. For example, a food supplement which stimulates cellular activity can be sold in Denmark, but is prohibited in France, thus requiring harmonisation at a European level to avoid penalising French producers. The identification of marine products was in the past limited to raw products, with standardised techniques having been developed between 1992 and 1995 through a European programme. Since 1996, with a new programme, it is possible to identify partly-processed products, such as prepared dishes or smoked fish.