Fish for health - improved nutritional quality of cultured fish for human consumption

Abstract

The project focusses on the promotion and increased use of fish and seafood products as a more healthy alternative to the consumption of processed red meat products and `fast-foods' in the fight against obesity, coronary heart disease, and associated ailments within the State; the prevalence of obesity in the capital city São Paulo increasing from 10% to 16% in men and 12% to 19% in women from 2006 to 2016, with obesity and associated ailments accounting for over 65% of total deaths in Brazil, and health-care costs dealing with overweight and obesity being over US$ 26 billion annually. In particular, the project aims to improve the health and well-being of people within the State of São Paulo through the implementation of a multidisciplinary research approach, by 1) undertaking a socio-economic market survey concerning the main aquatic food products consumed within the State, including both locally farmed and imported fish, 2) measuring the nutrient content and quality of the major aquatic food products consumed within the State, and their current contribution to overall dietary nutrient supply, 3) monitoring the variability in the nutrient content and quality of the two major farmed and consumed aquatic food products within the State (namely Tilapia and White shrimp) and the nutrient composition and quality of the locally manufactured aquaculture feeds used to produce them, 4) enhancing the nutrient content and potential health value of farmed tilapia and shrimp available within the State through dietary fortification with omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (EPA and DHA, fat soluble vitamins (vitamin A, D, and E), and essential trace elements (Iodine, Selenium, Chromium), 5) use of improved fish processing techniques and development of sustainable products with a focus on reducing losses from fish industrialization, 6) improving the nutritional quality and profitability of Tilapia production in the State using genetic markers and genome wide association studies, and 7) by increasing public awareness and understanding concerning the health benefits of fish (and in particular for women, children and adolescents) through the dissemination and publication of project findings, social media, public seminars and exhibits, and the hosting of an international symposium on Fish for Health. Fish for Health will generate results and new knowledge about the healthy consumption of fish, in addition to developing solutions to improve its nutritional quality, which can symbolize the food of the future, in the context of safety, nutrition and sustainability.