MC is leading a research project that, in conjunction with several national institutions, aims to find new tools to determine fish quality in order to promote food safety and combat waste. Vertical Fish, part of the Blue Bioeconomy Pact and funded by the Recovery and Resilience Plan, faces two critical challenges: ensuring fish quality and sustainability in aquaculture.

“The project aims to make the fish quality assessment process more efficient and optimize traceability methodologies from source and throughout the value chain. This ensures that the fish available to the end consumer is as safe and fresh as possible. In addition, the tools developed will make it possible to identify best practices, encouraging the reduction of food waste generated in the sector,” points out Ondina Afonso, Director of Quality & Research at MC.

In a context where climate change associated with human impacts affects the marine ecosystem, influencing the quality and safety of wild fish, Vertical Fish seeks innovative solutions for identifying morphological, structural, and molecular variations in fish. Using image processing software and rapid detection kits for biochemical changes, the main objective is to assess the quality of fish, identifying early cases that compromise food safety through the use of innovative methods, thereby improving quality and reducing waste of fish that reaches consumers’ homes.

Vertical Fish will initially conduct a detailed analysis of the data to identify potential causes of problems affecting fish quality. It will then use screening methodologies to detect fraudulent practices related to the origin of the fish. Finally, it will seek to develop advanced technologies to assess fish quality through imaging and intelligent software. “These methodologies will enable more agile and effective actions in identifying and resolving food safety issues,” concludes Ondina Afonso.

Sustainability in aquaculture too

On the sustainability front, Vertical Fish also promotes the construction of innovative modular systems, providing a zero-waste strategy in the aquaculture sector. This unique approach allows different nutrients to be reused at various stages of production, using low-trophic organisms (organisms that play a key role in transferring nutrients throughout the food chain). The goal is to increase production efficiency and reduce operating costs in the aquaculture industry.

Examples of low trophic level organisms include macroalgae and various invertebrates that form the basis of the food chain. By promoting the use of these organisms in aquaculture, the aim is to optimize production efficiency, reduce operating costs, and promote more sustainable practices, as they are very efficient at converting nutrients into body biomass that higher trophic level organisms (such as fish and shrimp) cannot use.

The Vertical Fish project is led by MC and involves the participation of various entities, from companies to universities, research centers, and technology centers, namely A4F, SA – Algae for Future, B2E – CoLAB for the Blue Bioeconomy (B2E CoLAB), Interdisciplinary Center for Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR), Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto, INESC-TEC, Portuguese Institute for Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA), Neadvance, Seaentia, University of Aveiro, and University of Minho.