Identification of food safety attributes of onshore cultivated macroalgae and jellyfish

Abstract

Within the limits of our planet, the pressure on agrifood systems to nourish the world has reached unprecedented levels. The incessant search for alternatives is crucial in order to meet consumer demand and predicted global protein needs. The sea is a promising sustainable food resource for the implementation of resilient aquatic food systems for human consumption, containing low trophic level species such as jellyfish and macroalgae. Jellyfish and edible macroalgae play a central role in the consumption and market of Southeastern countries. Both have recently been increasingly appealing to Western food markets and knowledge is required for this transition, since there are currently no specific food safety standards. Thus, the main objective of this thesis was to screen a set of safety parameters for jellyfish and macroalgae. Standards and process hygiene criteria used to interpret the results were based on literature that gathered guidelines and legislation from different countries. These assays were carried out on samples of jellyfish and macroalgae, as well as on samples of culture water and swabs - the latter for the purposes of microbiological analysis of the aquaculture environment. Concerning jellyfish sampling, the results revealed a pathogenic marker - Vibrio spp. - present in all the tests, which should be analyzed further as it represents a safety hazard of concern for food consumption. Also, a characteristic has been disclosed, albeit with some uncertainty, for further analysis in macroalgae sampling – B. cereus - which is a food-borne pathogen that can produce toxins that cause food-borne illnesses. Enterobacteriaceae (regarding jellyfish sampling), total bacterium, and molds (regarding macroalgae sampling) were detectable in higher concentrations by accreditable methods, not meeting the standards. With regard to the results for jellyfish, they were higher when optimized saline conditions were used, although this evidence was only partial in the results for macroalgae. This study highlights the demand for emerging tools in the near future to assess the safety and quality of these novel foods and, for the first time, has established a set of safety parameters required for further processing in jellyfish and macroalgae farmed in aquaculture.

Date of Award	13 Jun 2024
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Oliver Schlüter (Supervisor)