Innovation Capabilities & Products
- Capabilities | Assessment of nutritional value in seafood and design of personalized nutrition treatments and products
Design and development of seafood products for target consumers (elderly, young, diabetic, allergic to seafood, etc.) that guarantee specific nutritional requirements, safety and sustainability. Development of techniques (i.e. metabolomics, proteomics, genomics, lipidomics, etc.), using animal models and cell cultures, to characterize the response of a patient/consumer to diet and to design personalized nutrition treatments and products (i.e. nutraceutics, hypoallergenic fish products, immunostimulants, functional foods, etc).
- Capabilities | Optimization of fish meals
Development of new formulations and sustainable diets to be provided to farmed species to enhance their quality as well as their welfare.
- Capabilities | New technologies for rapid detection of pathogens in fishery and aquaculture products
Development of mass spectroscopy techniques for rapid identification and quantification of parasites in seafood products, as well as proteomic techniques to identify pathogenic microorganisms, fish parasites and allergen proteins.
- Capabilities | Pathogen incidence and risk assessment
Pathogen detection and identification in wild and farmed animals, as well as in seafood products. Evaluation of the relationship between pathogen incidence and various environmental and physiological aspects to provide risk assessments for target pathogens.
- Capabilities | Development of “in vitro” bioactivity tests for biomolecules using cell lines and specific gene expression tests
Development of techniques (metabolomics, proteomics, genomics, lipidomics, biomarkers) to characterize the response of cells to different biomolecules and to validate their activity and safety.
- Capabilities | Control of traceability and labelling
Development of specific biomarkers and -omic techniques to quantify allergens and to track species composition and geographical origin for quality traceability and prevention of food fraud and unregulated fisheries.
- Capabilities | Development of intelligent and active food labels
Development of smart food labels based on models for oxidation, microbial growth, etc. that let consumers know when food is no longer fit to eat, helping to prevent food waste, and give information on freshness, package temperature, etc.
- Capabilities | Development and implementation of natural additives and innovative processing techniques for seafood conservation
Development and implementation of natural additives (i.e., algae extracts and other lipophilic antioxidants) with antimicrobial and antioxidant properties, as well as innovative food processing and preservation methods (i.e. high hydrostatic pressure) to improve seafood conservation and shelf life.
- Capabilities |Evaluation of shelf life duration and development of personalized packaging systems for seafood products
Evaluation of viability and shelf life duration of seafood products. Development and ad-hoc adaptation of innovative food packaging systems (modified atmospheres, etc.) to improve quality, ensure safety and extend shelf life of fishery and aquaculture products.