Sara Cunha, researcher at Centre for Biotechnology and Fine Chemistry (CBQF) and doctoral student at School of Biotechnology, (ESB) won one of the prizes in Innovation and Research linked to the sea food sector, at the event Expo Fish Portugal 2022. This award aims to distinguish the potential for industrial application as well as for the development of entrepreneurial projects.

The work presented focuses on a methodology that allows the production of bioactive and nutritive ingredients from microalgae and marine organic residues.
These ingredients have a great potential for diverse applications, namely in food, nutraceutical, and cosmetic industries. This innovation contributes to the valorization of residues and marine species, enabling the creation of products with high added value, in line with the market demands for more natural and sustainable products. The work developed by Sara Cunha was supervised by Professor Manuela Pintado and supported by the researcher Ezequiel Coscueta, both from CBQF.

The research was conducted in collaboration with the company Allmicroalgae under the scope of the project VALORMAR – Full valorisation of marine resources: potential, technological innovation and new applications, funded by Fundo Europeu de Desenvolvimento Regional (FEDER) through Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização (POCI) (POCI-01-0247-FEDER-024517).

The event was help at the Porto de Leixões Terminal on the 16th of November, with the presence of the Minister of Agriculture and Food, Maria do Céu Antunes.