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Feed and Seafood Quality

Principal Investigator:
Luísa Valente

Aquaculture faces new challenges of competitiveness, profitability and sustainability. Our priority is to generate outstanding science and innovation that promotes the European Blue Bioeconomy.

Research will focus on optimising sustainable practices in aquaculture through the use of smart and precision farming techniques. This includes incorporating novel nutrient sources and valorising industrial by-products in aquafeeds, and also improving the quality, safety and welfare of aquatic animals under a market-oriented approach.

Problem-driven research is emphasized, combining scientific excellence with knowledge transfer to end-users and the industry.

1) Sustainable Practices for Aquaculture

  • Design and test (in vitro and in vivo) responsible nutritional formulations using novel ingredients and circular economy principles.
  • Promote nutrient utilisation and fish growth under a changing climate scenario.
  • Conduct feed and food authenticity evaluation.
  • Explore epigenetic programming and implement smart and precision farming techniques.

2) Functional Nutrition and Animal Welfare

  • Screen functional ingredients to promote the welfare and robustness of farmed species.
  • Enhance fish oxidative and immunological status to prevent and mitigate stress.
  • Improve gut health and identify welfare biomarkers.

3) Quality and Safety of Seafood Products

  • Enhance productivity and aquaculture insight through better biosafety and security of farmed species and providing consumers with healthy and safe seafood products.
  • Tailor flesh quality and nutritional value of farmed species
  • Create innovative and value-added seafood products.
  • Identify biomarkers for assessing flesh quality and safety.

 

Feed and Seafood Quality Co-PI: Rodrigo Ozório

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Publications Highlights

Basto, A., Marques, A., Silva, A., Sá, T., Sousa, V., Oliveira, M.B.P.P., Aires, T., Valente, L.M.P. (2023). Nutritional, organoleptic and sensory quality of market-sized European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) fed defatted Tenebrio molitor larvae meal as main protein source. Aquaculture 566: 739210.    

Ferreira, M., Ribeiro, P.C., Ribeiro, L., Barata, M., Domingues, V.F., Sousa, S., Soares, C., Marques, A., Pousão-Ferreira, P., Dias, J., Castro, L.F.C., Marques, A., Nunes, M.L., Valente, L.M.P. (2022). Biofortified diets containing algae and selenised yeast: effects on growth performance, nutrient utilization, and tissue composition of gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata). Frontiers in Physiology 12: 812884.   

Lemos, M.-L., Prata, J.C., Rodrigues, I.C., Martins-Costa, S., Archer, B., Machado, J., Dilão, R., Vaz-Pires, P., Martins da Costa, P. (2023). An Exploratory Study on Spoilage Bacteria and Listeria monocytogenes in Fresh Salmon: Extending Shelf-Life Using Vacuum and Seasonings as Natural Preservatives. Veterinary Sciences: 10, 42.    

Matias, R.S., Gomes, S., Barboza, L.G.A., Salazar-Gutierrez, D., Guilhermino, L., Valente, L.M.P. (2023). Microplastics in water, feed, and tissues of European seabass reared in a recirculation aquaculture system (RAS). Chemosphere: 335, 139055.   

Raposo, A.I.G., Soares, F., Conceição, L.E.C., Valente, L.M.P., Silva, T.S. (2023). Development and evaluation of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) body composition models. Aquaculture 564: 739039.  

Resende, D., Costas, B., Sá, T., Golfetto, U., Machado, M., Pereira, M., Pereira, C., Marques, B., Rocha, C.M.R., Pintado, M., Valente, L.M.P. (2022). Innovative swine blood hydrolysates as promising ingredients for European seabass diets: Impact on growth performance and resistance to Tenacibaculum maritimum infection. Aquaculture 561: 738657.   

Yu, X., Sousa, V.F.M.F., Oliveira, B.M., Guardiola, F.A., Silva-Brito, F., Ozorio, R.O.A., Valente, L.M.P., Magnoni, L.J.. (2022). Induced sustained swimming modifies the external morphology, increasing the oxygen-carrying capacity and plasma lactate levels of juvenile gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) without changing fish performance or skeletal muscle characteristics. Aquaculture 560: 738503.  

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