[ PROJECTS ] Mediterranean aquaculture highlighted at EAS annual event
MedAid, PerformFish present their results On October 4-7, 2021, the island of Madeira welcomed participants to the European Aquaculture Society’s annual conference. Attended by more than 1,400 participants from 57 countries, the event explored the potential of sustainable aquaculture to address social, economic, and environmental threats in Europe.
A
ltogether, almost 950 abstracts were submitted of which 560 were presented orally in 39 conference sessions. At the trade show held in parallel to the conference some 80 companies presented their products and services. In addition, 383 e-posters were presented online and could also be viewed at viewing stations in the conference area.
How to make Mediterranean marine fish farming more competitive? On October 5, two sessions were dedicated to the MedAID final event, organized in collaboration with PerformFISH. MedAID, together with PerformFISH, are two RIA (Research and Innovation Action) projects funded by the European Union. The goal of MedAID is to increase the overall competitiveness and sustainability of the Mediterranean marine fish-farming sector throughout the value chain. The PerformFISH project (Integrating Innovative Approaches for Competitive and Sustainable Performance across the Mediterranean Aquaculture Value Chain) seeks to ensure the sustainable growth of the Mediterranean aquaculture industry, based on consumer perceptions and market requirements. Opened by Bernardo Basurco and Dolors Furones, the coordinators of MedAID, Marisol Izquierdo, the scientific coordinator of PerformFISH
and Germán Valcarcel (Research Executive Agency, European Commission), the first session was devoted to questions of improving markets, economic performance, and governance of the aquaculture sector in the Mediterranean. Irene Peral, the leader of MedAID WP5 (Product development, market and consumer assessment), presented the key findings of this work package which pointed to the need for more product innovation and development of novel products for new markets for a long-term competitive market equilibrium in the Mediterranean aquaculture industry.
A deeper understanding of the market for seabass and seabream The main objective in MedAID WP5 was to explore the technical and market feasibility of developing different products from fish species (European seabass, gilthead seabream and meagre) farmed in the Mediterranean. Identification of the market opportunities for each type of species, transforming them into new value-added products tailor-made to the needs of different consumer profiles, and use of underexploited channels, were among other aims of the work package. Design and development of new seabass, seabream and meagre products was done by the Market Advisory Group, consisting of 24 players across the entire fish value chain from seven EU countries, and consumers, including 1,500
The sessions at the European Aquaculture Society’s annual conference dedicated to MedAid and PerformFish, two EU-funded Research and Innovation Action projects, were well attended.
respondents of a survey in Spain, Germany and France. Validation of new added-value products, pilot testing, and product market matching were caried out in Spain, France and Germany. As part of this work package, Raquel Loriente presented outcomes and findings of the working task “Technical development of new fish products”. Practical steps of the development process involved new prototypes design, pilot-scale processing and monitoring technical quality and safety of new seabass, seabream, and meagre products. The methodology included final selection of prototypes, raw material characterization and prototypes design and development. The selected prototypes included:
–
–
–
–
Grilled seabass with lemon, pasteurized-refrigerated, three months shelf-life with more than 66% fish Meagre fish burger with mushrooms, fish mince, frozen, at least one year shelf life, more than 95% fish Seabream breaded bites, fish mince, at least 1 year shelf life, more than 73% fish Organic seabream fillet with cous-cous, fish fillets, pasteurized refrigerated, 30 days shelf life, more than 63% fish.
Involve consumers in product and package development The products showed excellent nutritional profiles and highquality sensory properties due to
EUROFISH Magazine 6 / 2021
07_PROJECTS_PRJ.indd 27
27
23/11/21 10:34 AM
