Innovative and pioneering strategy for obtaining marine foods based on cultured octopus cells focuses on the application of blue cellular biotechnology to obtain new, more sustainable foods of the future.
The Agro-food Technological Support Center (CATAA) of Castelo Branco is promoting a project to develop an innovative and pioneering strategy for obtaining marine foods based on cultured cells from powder.
The uses an emerging biotechnological process with high potential for expansion across the entire food industry, in order to meet the growing need for food production, safeguarding the reduction in existing pressure on natural resources.
Instead of coming from farmed animals, octopus meat is grown in a controlled environment from a sample of the animal.
“Through this project it will be possible to develop an alternative method to conventional fishing and aquaculture to obtain octopus foods that are characteristic of Portuguese gastronomy, and which is also present in large international markets, such as Asia”, explained CATAA.
CELLBLUE focuses on the application of blue cellular biotechnology to obtain new, more sustainable foods of the future, seeking to maintain their flavor, color and texture. The objective is to develop a strategy for the production of new, more sustainable products, contributing to the preservation of marine environments and ecosystems, and reducing the impacts of intensive aquaculture processes, taking into account the specific gastronomic impact of the products in Portugal and around the world.
The project has a total investment of more than 1.2 million euros and the completion date is the day June 30, 2028.
