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- Algae as food in Europe: an overview of species diversity and their applicationPublication . Mendes, Madalena; Navalho, Sofia; Ferreira, Alice; Paulino, Cristina; Figueiredo, Daniel; Silva, Daniel; Gao, Fengzheng; Gama, Florinda; Bombo, Gabriel; Jacinto, Rita; Aveiro, Susana; Schulze, Peter S.C.; Gonçalves, Ana Teresa; Pereira, Hugo; Gouveia, Luisa; Patarra, Rita F.; Abreu, Maria Helena; Silva, Joana L.; Navalho, João; Varela, João; Galileu Speranza, LaisAlgae have been consumed for millennia in several parts of the world as food, food supplements, and additives, due to their unique organoleptic properties and nutritional and health benefits. Algae are sustainable sources of proteins, minerals, and fiber, with well-balanced essential amino acids, pigments, and fatty acids, among other relevant metabolites for human nutrition. This review covers the historical consumption of algae in Europe, developments in the current European market, challenges when introducing new species to the market, bottlenecks in production technology, consumer acceptance, and legislation. The current algae species that are consumed and commercialized in Europe were investigated, according to their status under the European Union (EU) Novel Food legislation, along with the market perspectives in terms of the current research and development initiatives, while evaluating the interest and potential in the European market. The regular consumption of more than 150 algae species was identified, of which only 20% are approved under the EU Novel Food legislation, which demonstrates that the current legislation is not broad enough and requires an urgent update. Finally, the potential of the European algae market growth was indicated by the analysis of the trends in research, technological advances, and market initiatives to promote algae commercialization and consumption.
- Tannin-based coagulant for harvesting microalgae cultivated in wastewater: Efficiency, floc morphology and products characterizationPublication . Teixeira, Mariana Souza; Galileu Speranza, Lais; da Silva, Isabel Costacurta; Moruzzi, Rodrigo Braga; Silva, Gustavo Henrique RibeiroTannin-based coagulants (TBCs) have the potential to be used to harvest microalgae cultivated at wastewater treatment plants. Their use would address the circular economy associated with the production of low-toxicity biomass and supernatant. Studies in this field are still scarce, and substantial gaps exist in the definitions of the flocculation process parameters. In this context, the objective of this work was to evaluate TBC performance as a natural coagulant for harvesting microalgae biomass grown in sanitary effluent digested in an up flow biofilter, as well establishing a path to enable recovery and reuse of wastewater nutrients. Classical removal techniques combined with image analysis and light scattering-based equipment were used to evaluate the coagulant performance, recovery efficiency, floc strength, and floc recovery compared to aluminum sulfate (AS). The results showed that TBC was able to efficiently harvest algal biomass from the effluent, achieving color, turbidity, and optical density (OD) removal efficiencies greater than 90% with only 5 min of sedimentation. The optimal harvesting dosage was 100 mg.L-1 for TBC and 75 mg.L-1 for AS. TBC presented the advantage of harvesting biomass without changing the pH of the medium and was also able to present satisfactory removal of the analyzed parameters (color, turbidity and OD) at pH values of 5.0, 7.0, and 8.5. In addition, TBC produced stronger flocs than AS, showing a better ability to resist breakage upon sudden shear rate variations. TBC produced macronutrient-rich biomass and supernatant that was similar to that produced with AS. (C) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
- Life cycle assessment of integrated multi-trophic aquaculture: a review on methodology and challenges for its sustainability evaluationPublication . Hala, Ahmad Furqan; Chougule, Komal; Cunha, Maria; Caria Mendes, Madalena; Oliveira, Inês; Bradley, Tom; Forbes, Jonathan; Galileu Speranza, LaisThe increase in aquaculture activity is inevitable to fulfil global food provisioning for a growing population. Therefore, it is most recommendable to develop a sustainable approach for aquaculture practice. Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) is proposed as one solution taking advantage of circular uptake of nutrients within the system. IMTA practice has been conducted for a thousand years despite only gaining recognition in recent decades. It is suggested to have lower environmental impact while promoting more advantages in the social and economic aspect of the industry. Therefore, multi aspects perspective of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is valuable to demonstrate the benefits of the system compared to the others. This review analyses 29 LCA studies on IMTA systems from 2009 to 2022 to understand the results, challenges, limitations, and benefits of LCA methodologies on IMTA systems. The studies followed the ISO 14040/44 guideline and were selected using the Google Scholar research tool. The four stages of the LCA were evaluated and it was concluded that there are several challenges in the Goal and Scope definition phase to determine the functional unit and methods that will be utilized. Hence, it is valuable to evaluate more options and, whenever possible, to conduct sensitivity analysis to help determine the proper methodology. The development of a specific database for the aquaculture sector is also strongly recommended, together with a standardized methodology for Data Collection and definition of impact categories to improve the consistency and comparability of the studies. Feed, fish effluents, and energy use are the impact hotspots and improving these factors might decrease the total impacts of the system as well. From this review, the potential of IMTA systems compared to monoculture systems and the potential of applying a tool such as LCA to measure it is highlighted. Therefore, more studies need to be conducted to improve the LCA methodology's consistency and reliability for IMTA system assessment.
- Performance, nutrient digestibility and physiological resilience of juvenile gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) fed organic and circular economy‐derived dietsPublication . Mendes, Rodrigo; Teodósio, Rita; Dias, Jorge; Fachadas Gato Coelho Gonçalves, Ana Teresa; Galileu Speranza, Lais; Magalhães, Sara; Aires, Tiago; Sánchez-Vázquez, Francisco J.; Engrola, Sofia; Conceicao, Luis; Mansour Torfi MozanzadehAquafeeds formulated with organic or circular economy-derived ingredients aim to enhance sustainability and consumer acceptance. This study evaluated the global warming potential (GWP) and digestibility of such feeds, and assessed their effects on performance, feed utilisation and physiological resilience, defined as the ability to maintain tissue function and integrity under different feeding conditions of juvenile gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) during grow out and after an overcrowding stress challenge. Three isonitrogenous (similar to 51% crude protein) and isoenergetic (similar to 18% crude fat) diets with limited fishmeal were formulated: a control (CTRL) commercial-like feed; an organic (ORG) diet based on organic-certified ingredients rich in plant proteins (primarily pea protein concentrate and wheat gluten); an eco-efficient (ECO) diet mainly composed of circular economy-derived animal by-products (e.g., poultry meal and feathermeal hydrolysate). The GWP was estimated using a life cycle assessment. Juvenile seabream (similar to 14 g) were stocked in triplicate 500 L tanks (90 fish per tank, initial density of 2.5 kg/m(3)) and fed three times daily following feeding tables generated by FiT Feeding Tables, to optimise ration and minimise waste, over a 65-day growth period (final density of 8 kg/m(3)) and a subsequent 14-day overcrowding challenge (initial density of 12.4 kg/m(3)). At the end of the growth period, all groups exhibited at least a threefold increase in body weight. Feed digestibility was high (apparent digestibility coefficients (ADCs) > 60%) and utilisation efficient. Physiological resilience was supported by stable growth and relative expression of biomarkers for gut health, oxidative status and immune function. Although ORG and ECO diets showed a higher GWP, this impact may decrease with increased use of renewable energy in ingredient production. The ORG diet also improved fish phosphorus retention. These organic and circular economy-derived feeds present viable options to reduce aquaculture's environmental footprint while maintaining fish performance and resilience.