Short Description (Company/ Institute):

The Federal University of Rio Grande (FURG) is a Brazilian federal institution of high education. In Brazil, FURG is recognized as a university facing to the sea, or the university of coastal and oceanic ecosystems, with a commitment to study the Blue Amazon. Since 1969, is a leading technology education and research institution in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Southern Brazil. FURG is divided in 13 educational unities and characterized by its excellence in scientific and technological development, high quality training program, capacity to attract funds from different financial agencies and its modern infrastructure to develop activities in the field of water resources conservation (freshwater and seawater) and in other complementary education fields.

The School of Chemistry and Food (EQA), formerly the Department of Chemistry, is an educational unity that received this new denomination in August 2008, maintaining the integration between the undergraduate courses in Chemistry Degree, Chemical Engineering, Food Engineering and Biochemical Engineering, as well as graduate courses in master’s and doctoral level and that were implemented in the areas of Food Engineering and Science, Technological and Environmental Chemistry, and Chemical Engineering, in response to the need for training professionals who can leverage the development of research in the areas of science, technology and food engineering as well as chemistry.

Since 1999, the PROMAR is a Research Program in Marine Products Processing that execute activities of research, development, innovation and extension (RDI & E) for obtainment, characterization, processing and evaluation of high added value products from marine and aquatic resources, and working with two Graduate Programs: Food Engineering and Science, and Aquaculture.

The infrastructure for fish and crustacean breeding is based at Marine Aquaculture Station (MAS), located on the Cassino Beach, 15 km from the main campus of FURG. In its 2,800 m2 of built area and has the following laboratories: Carcinoculture Laboratory, Fish Farming Estuarine and Marine Laboratory of Aquatic Organisms Nutrition Laboratory and Aquaculture Impact Assessment Laboratory.

Fields of activity, fields of research and development:

The School of Chemistry and Food, PROMAR and MAS are actives to execute projects that work with interesting molecules from fish and fish wastes, compared with traditional

processes for obtaining, mainly in the next areas:

Development of new processes and new products: Develop processes and products that use as raw materials, fish and aquatic resources at the research level in Brazilian Southern region to later meet the needs of the fish processing and aquatic resources industries.

Utilization of by-products of industrialization:

Use waste from fish processing industries, including industrial waste, discard fish and fish of low commercial value, for the recovery of bioactive compounds, with the purpose of obtaining value-added products and, consequently, improving the environment of Brazilian Southern region.

Biotechnology of aquatic products: Application of enzymatic biotechnology in raw materials and residues from the fish processing industries for the extraction of active principles of interest from proteases, amylases or lipases for specific hydrolysis.

Promote the technological development of aquatic organisms: Search for technological solutions for the cultivation of aquatic organisms, aiming to promote the scientific and technological development of creation in a sustainable way and with respect to the environment.

Main competences for international cooperation:

To development of international research projects:

Infrastructure, laboratories and facilities for the development of new processes and products from aquatic resources. Including different physicochemical, microbiological and sensorial laboratories.

Infrastructure, laboratories and facilities for the raising and breeding of fish, crustaceans, macro & microalgae in sweet- & saltwater, in RAS, Biofloc technology system, lakes and oceans.

Capacity building and training of researchers and students in the areas of fish and food engineering, and breeding and cultivation of fish, crustacean, macro- and microalgae.

The species used to process, breed and cultivation are tilapia, sole, White shrimp, Whitemouth croaker, mullet, tambaqui, carp, Red crab, macroalgae and microalgae.

Main fields of interest for international cooperation:

Development of new processes and new products:

Develop processes and products that use as raw materials, fish and aquatic resources at the research level in Brazilian Southern region to later meet the needs of the fish processing and aquatic resources industries.

Utilization of by-products of industrialization:

Use waste from fish processing industries, including industrial waste, discard fish and fish of low commercial value, for the recovery of bioactive compounds, with the purpose of obtaining value-added products and, consequently, improving the environment of Brazilian Southern region.

Biotechnology of aquatic products:

Application of enzymatic biotechnology in raw materials and residues from the fish processing industries for the extraction of active principles of interest from proteases, amylases or lipases for specific hydrolysis.

Promote the technological development of aquatic organisms:

Search for technological solutions for the cultivation of aquatic organisms, aiming to promote the scientific and technological development of creation in a sustainable way and with respect to the environment.

References / examples of most relevant products and services:

The School of Chemistry and Food, PROMAR and MAS work with the obtainment and characterization of follow products:

New bioactive compounds from fish and fish wastes.

New bioactive compounds from crustacean and crustacean wastes.
New bioactive compounds from macro- and microalgae.

New products applying the biofloc technology system for aquaculture.

Physicochemical, microbiological and sensorial analysis.