This is another milestone in the field of sustainable aquaculture. For the first time, Portugal will begin producing fish enriched with omega-3, responding to the growing demand for foods rich in this nutrient, which has proven health benefits. “The success of the OmegaPeixe project allows consumers to have access to differentiated fish, namely sea bass and turbot, with high nutritional value and produced in a sustainable way, respecting both animal welfare and the environment,” says Renata Serradeiro, CEO of Flatlantic.

The main objective of the OmegaPeixe project was to produce national fish, sea bass and turbot, enriched with long-chain omega-3, known for its anti-inflammatory properties, as well as for the prevention of cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases, diabetes, and depression.

The team from the Abel Salazar Institute of Biomedical Sciences (ICBAS) at the University of Porto and CIIMAR – Interdisciplinary Center for Marine and Environmental Research, led by researcher Luísa Valente, has optimized aquaculture diets using sustainable sources, ensuring that sea bass and turbot meet the long-chain omega-3 levels recommended by the World Health Organization for a healthy life.

Turbot, marketed by Flatlantic, is already on the market. ALGAplus’s organic sea bass will be fully marketed in 2024, in large-scale distribution. “We are talking about high-quality fish for consumers, fed with natural ingredients and diets rich in omega-3, essential for human health. This is an important milestone for the country, as it puts Portugal at the forefront of sustainable aquaculture and food innovation,” says Helena Abreu, founder of ALGAplus.

“The consumption of healthy foods produced in an increasingly sustainable way is a global trend. That is why this project is so important. Consumers, in general, are increasingly aware of the importance of long-chain omega-3s, and based on studies conducted, we believe that this new product will be well received,” explains Maria Coelho, executive coordinator of B2E – Collaborative Laboratory for the Blue Bioeconomy, also highlighting the importance of turbot and sea bass being certified as Made in Portugal.

The OmegaPeixe consortium is led by Flatlantic, a company based in Mira, which is responsible for turbot production. It also has a partnership with ALGAplus, located in Ílhavo and specializing in integrated aquaculture, which is responsible for organic sea bass. ICBAS at the University of Porto/CIIMAR coordinated the scientific studies to assess the impact of diets on the species, ensuring their nutritional optimization. The Collaborative Laboratory for the Blue Bioeconomy (B2E CoLAB), in turn, was responsible for revisiting the market’s acceptance of differentiated aquaculture products, seeking to understand consumer receptivity to these new products.

The project lasted two and a half years and involved an investment of around one million euros, of which almost 666,000 euros were supported by Portugal 2020 and the European Structural and Investment Funds of the European Union, through the Incentive System for Research and Technological Development.

The results of the project will be presented on June 29, at 10:00 a.m., at Atrium Mira, with the closing session to be led by the Secretary of State for Fisheries, Teresa Coelho. At the end, there will be a show cooking by Chef Luís Lavrador, from the Fama restaurant (Aveiro), where sea bass and turbot, both rich in omega-3 fatty acids, will be served for tasting (program attached).

Registration for the workshop and show cooking is now closed.