Smoked octopus: have you tried it?

Smoked octopus is an innovative product developed in the frame of the Cephs and Chefs InterReg project of the Atlantic Area, which focused on the development of new cephalopod products as a response to current consumer requests for new products, and diversification of presentations of this species.

The Portuguese Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) developed the formulation and the technology, validating and characterizing the product at the sensory and nutritional level. Sensory tests carried out, with panels of trained experts from the institute itself and tests with consumers, showed excellent results and a great acceptability of the product, which allowed to arrive at the perfect formula for the transformation of this species.

This product has clear nutritional advantages, as the octopus is an excellent source of proteins of high biological value, rich in vitamin A and C, as well as minerals – sodium (Na), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg) and phosphorus (P). On the other hand, it has a low concentration of fats, but it is rich in omega 3, which provides benefits for the cardiovascular system.

Another advantage is the smoking production process and the use of liquid smoke. This method of smoking involves a technology that is easy to apply, has low investment costs and is a fast process, producing smoked products with high added value in just a few hours. In this process, the application of liquid smoke does not entails a direct exposure of the product to hot smoke, which allows a better control of the constituents of the smoke and has added benefits, since liquid smoke is controlled by EU regulations and therefore its application safer to health than the traditional smoking process.

This product can be commercialized in various presentations, like refrigerated and canned, and can be an ingredient for different types of cooking (e.g. Asian, Italian, etc.). The smoked octopus can even be a new kind of product, ready to eat, being commercialized as a snack to be added, for example, to salads.

The smoked octopus is in the finishing stages of development and could be tested as soon as the industry desires, following optimization at industrial scale of the production process, as well as defining the most appropriate methods of conservation.

 

Polvo à Lagareiro

In the Cephs and Chefs Youtube channel you can find several cephalopod recipes, like this delicious Portuguese octopus recipe: “Polvo à Lagareiro”.

Food of the Edge 2019

The Cephs and Chefs team from GMIT and ARVI participated in the Food of the Edge 2019. Food on the Edge is a two-day symposium that takes place annually in Galway city, Ireland. It is for chefs & food enthusiasts all around the world who want to create a better global network. Food on the Edge 2019 took place in Galway the 21st and 22nd October 2019. During this festival the Cephs and Chefs project was presented to the attendees.

Cephs&Chefs call for tenders

The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) as a project partner of the “Octopus, Squid, Cuttlefish, Sustainable Fisheries and Chefs” (CephsandChefs) Project funded by the Interreg EU Program, announces this call for tenders to produce 3 pre-assessment analysis within the framework of the aforementioned project. The call for tenders will be open until 30th August 2019 (see details in the document attached) and is addressed to all MSC accredited Conformity Assessment Bodies as well as independent consultants with strong experience in the MSC assessment process. MSC invites all interested entities and experts to submit a proposal following the requirements established in the tender specification document attached.

Docs: Cephs&Chefs_PAs Call for Tenders (PDF format)

INTERREG Cephs and Chefs participates in the 4th edition of the Sea Fair, in Sines

On the 12th to 14th of July, the UAVR team was present at 4th edition of the Feira do Mar in Sines, as part of the INTERREG Cephs and Chefs project. The participation in this event included a stand in the exhibition with information about the project, a presentation to the general public and stakeholders about the Cephs and Chefs project and the educational activity “Polvos: os troca-tintas!”, oriented towards children, which contributes to increase ocean literacy. Feira do Mar is organized by Sines Tecnopolo and the City Council of Sines and intends to gather different stakeholders and activities related with the sea, from areas of technology, science, gastronomy, fisheries and tourist animation (among others).

New cephalopod products tasting at “CESAM day 2019”

The UAVR team, together with IPMA, presented the new cephalopod products developed by IPMA under the scope of INTERREG Cephs and Chefs, in an event at the University of Aveiro. The CESAM day 2019 held 200 participants. The tasting of new cephalopod products (boiled common and horned octopuses, smoked common octopus) was followed by a survey to understand consumer acceptance to the mentioned cephalopod products.

INTERREG Cephs and Chefs participates in the Children’s Day in Lourinhã

As part of the INTERREG Cephs and Chefs project, the University of Aveiro established a protocol with the City Council of Lourinhã, in order to collaborate in several events related to the Octopus Gastronomic Fortnight of Lourinhã. On the 2nd of June, Sílvia Monteiro and Fábio Matos (UAVR team) were present at the Children’s Day event organized by the City Council of Lourinhã with the educational activity “Polvos: os troca-tintas!”, which contributes to increase ocean literacy. This educational action consisted of different octopus-related activities, including a didactic quiz with curiosities about the biology, sustainability and fishing of this species, puzzles and paintings related to common octopus.

Participation in the Seafood Expo Global 2019

The project INTERREG Cephs and Chefs was present at the Seafood Expo Global 2019, held in Brussels from the 7 to the 9th of May 2019. The Seafood Expo Global is the world’s largest trade fair in the fisheries sector, being, therefore, of high relevance for the Cephs and Chefs project. Cristina Pita (UAVR team) was invited by Xunta de Galicia to present the project Cephs and Chefs. Additionally, Cristina Pita was able to network with worldwide seafood industry stakeholders and prospect about their interest in new cephalopod products and markets.

 

Participation in the Seafood Expo North America 2019

The project INTERREG Cephs and Chefs was present at the Seafood Expo North America 2019, that was held in Boston (USA) from the 17 to the 19th of March 2019. This event is North America’s largest seafood trade exposition, being, therefore, of high relevance for the Cephs and Chefs project. Cristina Pita (UAVR team) participated in the Octopus Sustainable Roundtable Meeting oriented towards seafood industry stakeholders, where she presented the Portuguese and Spanish octopus case studies included in the Cephs and Chefs project, in the fishery improvement efforts panel. Additionally, Cristina Pita was able to prospect about the interest of worldwide seafood industry stakeholders in cephalopod products enrolled in Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs).

 

Participation in the opening even of the “11ª Quinzena Gastronómica do Polvo da Lourinhã”

The project INTERREG Cephs and Chefs was invited to be present on the opening event of the “11ª Quinzena Gastronómica do Polvo da Lourinhã”, that was held at the restaurant “Noiva do Mar” in Lourinhã, at the 16th of May. This event – aimed at journalists and food bloggers- included a presentation about the “11ª Quinzena Gastronómica do Polvo da Lourinhã” by the city councilor João Serra (City Council of Lourinhã), a presentation about the nutritional value of common octopus and the development of new cephalopod products by Amparo Gonçalves (IPMA) and a presentation about the sustainability of common octopus and the prospection of new cephalopod markets and products by Sílvia Monteiro e Fábio Matos (UAVR). The participation in this event resulted from the collaboration established between UAVR and the City Council of Lourinhã (organizers of the “11ª Quinzena Gastronómica do Polvo da Lourinhã”), with the objective to inform the consumers regarding the sustainability of common octopus and, at the same time, understand consumer acceptance to new cephalopod products.