Madeiran products

The Cephs and Chefs team from the University of Aveiro participated in two events of valorization of Madeiran products. The events took place at the Terreiro Concept restaurant, at Madeira island. The project “Legado” promoted, on October 16th, the “Legado do Peixe” dinner that included 7 gastronomic moments with traditional Madeiran products such as flying squid, ray, conger, moray, herring, nun, skipjack, mackerel and even Madeira jackfruit and seaweed, in addition to wine degustation and comments by the specialist Nuno Nobre and the chef Carlos Gonçalves. On Saturday, October 17th, World Food Day, an Open Gastronomic Day was carried out to celebrate Madeira’s biodiversity in all its ecosystems: farm, rivers, forest and sea. The event included lectures, debates, workshops and tasting products from the 4 ecosystems. More information on the website: https://terreiroconcept.com/eventos/

Exploring sustainability across the octopus value chain in Galicia, Asturias and the Algarve

Octopus is increasingly a global commodity, with landings and trade increasing worldwide. The octopus fishery is of extremely economic and social importance in Galicia (Spain) and the Algarve (Portugal), with a vast artisanal fleet using pots and traps dedicated exclusively to catching this species in both locations. The Cephs and Chefs teams from USC and UAVR are carrying out studies to better understand the value chain of the common octopus Octopus vulgaris in Galicia and Asturias (Spain), and the Algarve (Portugal). We held a one-day workshop in Santiago de Compostela (Galicia) on March 7th 2020 with key fisheries stakeholders including representatives from the professional and recreational fishing sectors, the wholesale and retail sectors, and the scientific, administrative and community sectors to discuss sustainable use of the octopus resource. In September, we carried out semi-structured interviews in the Algarve with similar key fisheries stakeholders to discuss the same topics.. The results will identify market drivers and barriers for the achievement of environmental, social and economic sustainability of activities carried out by people involved throughout the octopus value chain from fishers

Workshop in Santiago de Compostela

Interviews in the Algarve

Impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on octopus fisheries in the Algarve

The coronavirus outbreak is impacting the global economy, including the fishing sector. The Cephs and Chefs team from UAVR is evaluating the economic, social and health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the octopus fishing activity and seafood value chain in Portugal, as well as the adaptation measures implemented by the industry to mitigate the impact of COVID-19. Semi-structured interviews with representatives of fishing organizations (POs, associations, fishers, etc.) were carried out in the Algarve, Portugal in March.

 

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.