Discover the selection of Top inventions, technological trends, methodologies, case studies, and businesses in the Blue Bioeconomy sector, curated by our Project Manager Graça Teixeira.

Aquaculture:

1. Intelligent Aquaculture System for Growth and Health Monitoring. In Espacenet

The technology refers to the aquaculture of aquatic species, such as fish and shellfish, including shrimp, and more specifically, to an intelligent system for monitoring water quality, growth, and health in aquaculture to track the growth progress and health of aquatic species over time and to establish data traceability, as well as system operating methods. Learn more here.

 

2. Antibodies against disease-causing agents in aquaculture and their use. In Espacenet

This document describes methods and antibodies useful for reducing, eliminating, or preventing bacterial or viral infection in aquatic animals. Also described are antigens useful for targeting by heavy chain antibodies and VHH fragments for reducing a bacterial or viral population in an aquatic animal.

Learn more here.

 

3. Big data from remote sensors for monitoring in aquaculture. In Espacenet

Building a smart aquaculture system is significantly more complex than creating other smart production initiatives. The reliability and lifespan of the sensors, as well as their robustness and accuracy, are paramount considerations. The entire system is designed based on cloud-based big data storage. The system is planned to be powered by solar panels. As a result, the method will be able to perform real-time monitoring of aquaculture water quality and have a significant practical impact in terms of reducing labor intensity, improving the quality of marine products, and protecting the aquatic environment.

Learn more here.

 

Marine Biotechnology:

4. New technology helps detect nematodes in fish fillets. In The Fish Site

Nofima has developed a new technology that can identify and remove nematodes, a type of roundworm, from white fish fillets before they are consumed.

Learn more here.

 

5. Marine grafts for human tissue generation. In Patent Scope

This inventive concept relates to the field of marine-derived grafts for the personalized generation of human tissues for future clinical application. Specifically, it refers to a method for generating and evaluating personalized human grafts, using decellularized marine invertebrates as novel bio-grafts recellularized with autologous stem cells from the patient.

Learn more here.

 

6. Exploration of marine molecules to control Alzheimer’s Disease. In NCBI

Marine natural products have proven to be promising candidates, and some have demonstrated a high neuroprotective effect, constituting a large reservoir of potential drugs and nutraceutical agents. This article attempts to describe the extraction and isolation processes of bioactive compounds derived from sponges, algae, marine bacteria, invertebrates, crustaceans, and tunicates as drug candidates against Alzheimer’s Disease, focusing on the success of pharmacological activity in the process of discovering new and effective drug compounds.

Learn more here.

 

Marine Living Resources:

7. Process for preparing marine sausages based on cephalopods. In Patent Scope

Process for preparing seafood sausages characterized by the removal of octopus heads in a quantity exceeding 90% by weight of the final sausage, and cooking for 40 to 60 minutes. The octopus heads are then cooled to a temperature below 3°C for 40 to 60 minutes, crushed at a temperature between 0°C and 4°C, salt, vegetable fat, and anchovy colatura are added, and the mixture is stirred for 10 to 30 minutes at a temperature between 0°C and 4°C. This results in a mass that stabilizes at a temperature between 0°C and 4°C for 8 to 16 hours; the mixture is then placed in the casing.

Learn more here.

 

8. Fish processing method. In Espacenet

The method involves cooking fish fillets weighing between 1 and 10 kg, preferably between 1.5 and 5 kg, after the fish have been previously subjected to the following steps: removal of heads; removal of tails and dorsal fins; removal of viscera; filleting; removal of the backbone; and removal of the skin. The fish is preferably tuna. The fish is preferably frozen, which is why a first step to thaw the fish is included. Additionally, the dark flesh can also be removed from the fish before cooking. The method implies savings in labor, time and energy, as well as a more environmentally friendly treatment.

Learn more here.

 

9. Microalgae drugs: a promising therapeutic reserve for the future. In Science Direct

Various species from algae such as Haematococcus, diatoms, Griffithsia, Chlorella, Spirulina, Ulva, etc., compounds have been identified and isolated to produce high-value, biologically active, and pharmacologically important compounds such as astaxanthin, fucoxanthin, sulfur polysaccharides, mainly galactose, rhamnose, xylose, fucose, etc., which exhibit antimicrobial, antifungal, anticancer, and antiviral activities. Furthermore, the focus has been on the role of these algae-extracted biocompounds, especially sulfur polysaccharides, in treating various diseases, with prospective treatment for SARS-CoV-2.

Learn more here.

 

Special Sonar World Intellectual Property Day

10. Valorization of marine animal by-products. In Espacenet

The present invention relates to methods and processes for extracting nutritional and cosmetic products from marine animal by-products on an industrial scale. These products include proteins and oils for nutritional purposes (e.g., animal diets) and collagen for medical, nutritional, and cosmetic purposes.

Learn more here.

 

Did you know…

The B2E Technological Sonar initiative, launched in 2021, aims to periodically provide relevant information to its community about new technological trends, emerging innovative methodologies, and disruptive business and study cases in the blue bioeconomy sector?

The methodology employed consists of applied and exploratory research, in order to generate knowledge for practical applications, with the objective of solving specific problems and providing greater familiarity with them.

The sources used for research were diversified, with the following criteria: recent news publications, scientific articles, or patent databases.

 

Sonar 2022: Data Analysis in a Minute

In 2022, the Sonar Tecnológico team identified 286 technological trends in its main areas of activity (Aquaculture – 148, Marine Biotechnology – 79, and Marine Living Resources – 59). The various applications of these technologies are outlined in Figure 1, noting that 28% were related to food and 25% to equipment.

Food and equipment are the applications where the greatest number of inventions, technological trends, methodologies, or case studies and businesses related to the areas in question (Aquaculture, Marine Biotechnology, and Marine Living Resources) emerged, as shown in Figure 2: Information search results with the different applications (columns with # published in Sonar editions).

Monthly, a selection of the results found was made. In each edition, care was taken to ensure that all areas were covered, with 64 Aquaculture trends, 57 Marine Biotechnology trends, and 39 Marine Living Resources trends published. This resulted in a total of 160 inventions, technological trends, methodologies, or case studies and business cases published, distributed across 11 monthly editions and a special edition on Sonar Patents (World Intellectual Property Day).

 

More about Sonar 2022

Every month, the B2E network of associates received the Sonar Tecnológico edition firsthand, containing an average of 12 sources of information. This B2E initiative was also made available on social media and the website.

Choosing the Top 10 was not easy: excellent, innovative, economically promising, environmentally sustainable technologies of national origin, with a significant impact on health and well-being, were featured.

The selection was solely the responsibility of the author, with the criterion being the choice of technologies that equitably covered the different areas, and also a selection from the Technological Sonar of the Special Edition of World Intellectual Property Day (edition 7).

The main factors justifying the choice were:

• Food safety, which has been a concern raised by several stakeholders, especially in the detection of parasites in fish;

• The water quality of aquaculture systems has been a concern mentioned by several industrial units;

• Innovative technology of high interest to health;

• The use of marine resources, most frequently associated with food, can also have other applications such as in health and the pharmaceutical industry, for example in Alzheimer’s disease (which has been worrying scientists, doctors and patients worldwide) or in solving health problems impacting a current concern such as SARS-CoV-2;

• Processed fish is increasingly sought after by consumers; this technique combines savings in labor, time, and energy, as well as environmentally sustainable treatment.