SEAREFINERY

Description

Impact-oriented utilization pathways for new sustainable, unexploited low trophic marine resources and fish/aquaculture wastes are one of the key pillars of sustainable transformation of EU blue economy. SEAREFINERY aims to establish a novel bio-based blue food/feed and blue food packaging materials production platform by embracing marine-based sources and wastes targeting five seas. The SEAREFINERY concept will be designed within a multidisciplinary and smart collaboration platform for developing a breakthrough eco-centric strategy considering the local sources, economic and social perspectives at transnational level within the EU.  The specific aims of SEAREFINERY includes extraction of high value-added compounds from invasive species, low trophic organisms and marine derived by-products, utilisation of marine-based extracted materials for development of blue food analogues (meat and cheese), functional bread, and smart and active food packaging materials, valorisation of aquaculture and fish waste for blue feed production via bacterial fermentation and microalgae cultivation, a systematic evaluation of the products based on environmental impacts, market analysis, and consumer acceptance followed by a multi-criteria decision making analysis. At the end of the project, this pin-point novel approach will fulfill the needs for restoring and preservation of the marine ecosystem, the need for valorisation of marine resources for sustainable blue economy, the needs and requirements of society and end-users as well as it will allow for new business models and investment schemes.