OmegaPeixe: Fortification of aquaculture fish with long chain Omega-3 fatty acids

OmegaPeixe: Fortification of aquaculture fish with long chain Omega-3 fatty acids

Project title | OmegaPeixe: Fortification of aquaculture fish with long chain Omega-3 fatty acids

Project code | POCI-01-0247-FEDER-069748

Main objective | To produce differentiated fish with high nutritional value, in particular with a high content of omega-3 LC-PUFA, focusing on species of great relevance and value in Southern Europe: turbot and European seabass.

Beneficiary entity | ACUINOVA – Actividades Piscícolas, S.A.

Approval date | 28/01/2021

Start date | 01/01/2021

Completion date | 30/06/2023

Total eligible cost | € 990 513.46

European Union financial support |€ 665 148.17

Promoters

ACUINOVA – Actividades Piscícolas, S.A.

ALGAplus – Production and Commercialization of Algae and Its Derivatives. Lda.

Institute of Biomedical Sciences Abel Salazar – University of Porto

B2E Blue Bioeconomy Association – Collaborative Laboratory

Objectives, activities and expected / achieved results

Aquaculture is, on a global level, a sector with a high growth rate, playing a fundamental role as a healthy source of food and nutrients. It is expected to play an increasingly important role in view of the increase in the world population and the stagnation of fisheries. All fish is rich in macronutrients, vitamins and minerals important for human health, being our main, and almost unique, source of long-chain omega-3s. This characteristic associates the consumption of fish with countless health benefits, distinguishing this agri-food product very positively compared to others. However, the sustainability of the sector is a major challenge that has forced the feed industry to reduce the inclusion of marine sources (fish meal and fish oil) in compound feeds for fish, replacing them with others more environmentally sustainable, but devoid of omega-3s. Aquaculture production is currently facing one of its biggest challenges, to produce in an environmentally and economically sustainable way, but also managing to meet the needs and requirements of the final consumer. On the other hand, aquaculture has the great objective of guaranteeing to the consumer the supply of omega-3 recommended by the World Health Organization to promote health.

In order to contribute to the solution of these challenges, and since the aquaculture sector is in rapid growth, the objective of the OmegaPeixe project is the production of a differentiated fish with high nutritional value, in particular with a high content of omega-3 LC-PUFA, focusing on species of great relevance and value in Southern Europe: turbot and European seabass.

In this project we propose a multidisciplinary approach to the development of these products until the placing on the market. For this purpose, OmegaPeixe will be executed by a complete consortium, consisting of two reference companies in the national and European aquaculture panorama in the turbot sector (ACUINOVA) and multitrophic systems (ALGAplus), and one non-corporate entity of the national R&D system, ICBAS – University of Porto, with recognized international competences in the area of ​​Aquaculture, in particular in the nutrition of marine fish, as well as a strong connection and collaboration with the industry. The consortium will also integrate the Blue Bioeconomy Collaborative Laboratory (B2E), which will enhance the transfer of knowledge from academia to industry, while also helping to enhance and disseminate the results and products emerging from the project. Together, the consortium presents the necessary skills for the development and validation of differentiated fish up to a TRL7/8, integrating the final borrowers of the project’s results: ACUINOVA for turbot and ALGAplus for seabass.

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