The Spanish research centre, Fundación Centro Tecnolóxico da Carne (CTC) is a project partner of the AQUABIOPRO-FIT consortium. We caught up with R&D Manager Food Science and Technology, José Manuel Lorenzo Rodríguez, to find out why CTC chose to be part of the AQUABIOPRO-FIT consortium and how they will contribute to the project.

Fundación Centro Tecnolóxico da Carne (CTC) is a public research center, a dependent of “Xunta de Galicia“ Regional Administration, which monitors progress in the meat sector in particular, and the agri-food area in general. Our main purpose is to contribute to technological development through the following research programs:

• Incorporation of bioactive compounds into foods: functional and healthy foods.

• Food quality and safety. Shelf-life studies and microbiology predictive.

• Use of side streams from the agro-food industries.

• New packaging systems: active and / or intelligent packaging.

• Application of emerging technologies in food processing: pulsed electric fields, ultrasound, microwaves, supercritical CO2, high hydrostatic pressures, etc.

• Development of new meat products. Modification to obtain healthier products. Use of natural additives and antioxidants.

The role of CTC in the AQUABIOPRO-FIT project is to participate in the development of ingredients from aquaculture and agriculture side stream biomasses with technological and healthy functionalities. Non-conventional processing technologies (pulsed electric fields, ultrasound, microwaves, supercritical CO2, high hydrostatic pressures) will be used to extract bioactive compounds. The resulted extracts will be analyzed (GC-MS/MS, LC-MS-MS) with a special focus on bioactive compounds like proteins, polyphenols and lipophilic compounds (essential oils, vitamin E and fatty acids). The antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of these extracts will also be determined. Moreover, CTC will nanoencapsulate the bioactive compounds so they can be used as ingredients in the development of new healthy and quality foods (burgers, fermented sausages, Frankfurt sausages and pâté).

AQUABIOPRO-FIT is a very ambitious project that promotes the efficient utilization of European aquaculture, fisheries and agriculture side streams in nutritional supplement products promoting fitness and health. This objective is very interesting as it complements our research into the application of emerging technologies in food processing (pulsed electric fields, ultrasound, microwaves, supercritical CO2, high hydrostatic pressures) in order to obtain bioactive compounds that can be incorporated into new meat products (functional and healthy). These new differential quality foods allow to add value to the side streams of the fish industry and could open new markets by targeting specific populations groups.

The results of this project will advance innovation. The sustainable processing technologies can be used to extract bioactive compounds from biomass residues and side streams. These can be used in the production of new products for the food industry in order to obtain healthier meat products. This will be achieved with the replacement of SFA and TFAs in processed food products with new organogels rich in ω-3 from fish and fish oil developed from side stream materials. This offers a great opportunity and a challenge for the food industry, since it allows the modification of the composition of processed meat products. Moreover, these results will create new markets for the product and processes.

The AQUABIOPRO-FIT consortium consists of 3 universities, 1 large company, 3 SMEs, 1 NGO and 4 research institutes from 7 European countries. Find out more about Fundación Centro Tecnolóxico da Carne and the other AQUABIOPRO-FIT project partners in the links below.