Search

The ability of human tissues to self-repair is limited, which motivates the scientific community to explore new and better therapeutic approaches to tissue regeneration. The present manuscript provides a comparative study between a marine-based composite biomaterial, and another composed of well-established counterparts for bone tissue regeneration. Blue shark skin collagen was combined with bioapatite obtained from blue shark's teeth (mColl:BAp), while bovine collagen was combined with synthetic hydroxyapatite (bColl:Ap) to produce 3D composite scaffolds by freeze-drying. Collagens showed similar profiles, while apatite particles differed in their composition, being the marine bioapatite a fluoride-enriched ceramic. The marine-sourced biomaterials presented higher porosities, improved mechanical properties, and slower degradation rates when compared to synthetic apatite-reinforced bovine collagen. The in vivo performance regarding bone tissue regeneration was evaluated in defects created in femoral condyles in New Zealand rabbits twelve weeks post-surgery. Micro-CT results showed that mColl:BAp implanted condyles had a slower degradation and an higher tissue formation (17.9 ± 6.9 %) when compared with bColl:Ap implanted ones (12.9 ± 7.6 %). The histomorphometry analysis provided supporting evidence, confirming the observed trend by quantifying 13.1 ± 7.9 % of new tissue formation for mColl:BAp composites and 10.4 ± 3.2 % for bColl:Ap composites, suggesting the potential use of marine biomaterials for bone regeneration

La presencia en Vigo del Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas (IIM) del CSIC se remonta a 1951, cuando los primeros investigadores comenzaron su actividad de modo permanente en el antiguo Colegio Alemán.

Hydrolyzed collagen, glycogen, and hyaluronic acid, obtained through the biotechnological valorization of underutilized marine bioresources, fulfill cosmetic industry requirements for sustainable products produced under circular economy principles. Hydrolyzed collagen was obtained by hydrolyzing blue shark collagen with papain and ultrafiltration. Glycogen was isolated from industrial mussel cooking wastewaters through ultrafiltration, precipitation, and selective polysaccharide separation. Hyaluronic acid was produced by fermentation, purification, and depolymerization. The main objective was to test the feasibility of including these three biomolecules in a cosmetic formulation as bioactive compounds. For this, the in vitro irritant potential of the three ingredients and also that of the cosmetic formulation was assayed according to the Reconstituted Human Epithelium Test method OECD 439. Moreover, an in vitro assessment of the effect of hydrolyzed collagen and hyaluronic acid combinations on mRNA expression and collagen type I synthesis was evaluated in adult human fibroblasts. This study establishes, for the first time, the potential use of particular hydrolyzed collagen and hyaluronic acid combinations as stimulators of collagen I synthesis in fibroblast cultures. Besides, it provide safety information regarding potential use of those biomolecules in the formulation of a cosmetic preparation positively concluding that both, ingredients and cosmetic preparation, resulted not irritant for skin following an international validated reference method.

Collagen is one of the most important structural proteins in the animal kingdom and it is present in different types of tissues and structures, such as connective tissues, bones or skin. Collagen and its denatured form, gelatine, exhibit a great number of industrial applications, such as ingredient for the cosmetic , nutraceutical and pharmaceutical ,food industries and even for biomaterial and tissue engineering. The potential of some aquaculture by-products for obtaining collagen as a main by-product in the framework of the H2020 project Green Aquaculture Intensification in Europe was studied.The main outcome of the project was to increase quantity, quality and sustainability of farmed products

Long term success of a sustainable management fishing depends on obtaining more data of scientific and technical information. Remote electronic monitoring (REM or simply EM) systems have been considered a robust and potential tool to obtain a fully documented fisheries in the framework of Common Fishery Policy (CFP). Moreover, European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA) has agreed with the use of these systems for full MSC programs, to achieve greater coverage of the fleet and better compliance with the CFP. In recent years, several fisheries in Europe have started mandatory electronic monitoring programs and administrations encourage REM based on pilot experiences. In this context, CSIC is carrying out the TIPES project, which has emerged with the aim of developing new intelligent electronic observation technologies for more sustainable fisheries management. One of its main objectives is the validation of the Implementation of EM systems in Spanish fisheries. The expected result is an evaluation from two complementary approaches: on the one hand, the use as a scientific monitoring system of catches, discards and by-catch and, on the other hand, the application as a control system to respond to European directives. To achieve these goals, three case studies have been performed in Spanish fisheries at ICES Iberian waters, targeting the otter bottom trawl demersal fishery (OTB_DEF), the otter bottom trawl pelagic fishery (OTB_MDP) and trammel net fishery (GTR-DEF). Experimental trials were carried out onboard collaborative commercial vessels working in National fishing ground Cantabrian-Northwest. To validate the utility of EM in these cases studies, a comparative analysis was designed based on two data sources: human observer data and electronic camera data, recorded at the same time, during the trials at sea. Human scientific observers were obtaining data about biomass, sizes and species in retained and discarded catches. Furthermore, electronic surveillance cameras we

In the past decade, there has been significant progress in 3D printing research for tissue engineering (TE) using biomaterial inks made from natural and synthetic compounds. These constructs can aid in the regeneration process after tissue loss or injury, but achieving high shape fidelity is a challenge as it affects the construct's physical and biological performance with cells. In parallel with the growth of 3D bioprinting approaches, some marine-origin polymers have been studied due to their biocompatibility, biodegradability, low immunogenicity, and similarities to human extracellular matrix components, making them an excellent alternative to land mammal-origin polymers with reduced disease transmission risk and ethical concerns. In this research, collagen from shark skin, chitosan from squid pens, and fucoidan from brown algae were effectively blended for the manufacturing of an adequate biomaterial ink to achieve a printable, reproducible material with a high shape fidelity and reticulated using four different approaches (phosphate-buffered saline, cell culture medium, 6% CaCl2, and 5 mM Genipin). Materials characterization was composed by filament collapse, fusion behavior, swelling behavior, and rheological and compressive tests, which demonstrated favorable shape fidelity resulting in a stable structure without deformations, and interesting shear recovery properties around the 80% mark. Additionally, live/dead assays were conducted in order to assess the cell viability of an immortalized human mesenchymal stem cell line, seeded directly on the 3D printed constructs, which showed over 90% viable cells. Overall, the Roswell Park Memorial Institute cell culture medium promoted the adequate crosslinking of this biopolymer blend to serve the TE approach, taking advantage of its capacity to hamper pH decrease coming from the acidic biomaterial ink. While the crosslinking occurs, the pH can be easily monitored by the presence of the indicator phenol red in the cel

The implementation and fully compliance of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) of the EU depends largely on the ability to quantify total catches on board commercial fishing vessels. To this aim, the use of electronic devices is gaining relevance and vision-based electronic monitoring technologies have emerged as a more cost-effective and efficient way to monitor fishing activity. In this work, we present the iObserver 2.0, a device that uses Deep Learning image recognition to automatically identify and quantify in real time the entire catch on board fishing vessels. It builds upon two previous prototypes, improving image quality by using line scan technology. Two neural networks are used for fish species segmentation, identification, and length regression tasks. As main results of this disruptive technology, the iObserver 2.0 distinguishes more than twice the number of species than previous version, works with area scan and line scan camera images, and it is evaluated with a test set incorporating more complex images. An experimental fishing survey has been conducted to assess the system’s performance in real-life conditions, showing promising results in terms of total catch registration of target and discard fish species

The implementation and fully compliance of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) of the EU depends largely on the ability to quantify total catches on board commercial fishing vessels. To this aim, the use of electronic devices is gaining relevance and vision-based electronic monitoring technologies have emerged as a more cost-effective and efficient way to monitor fishing activity. In this work, we present the iObserver 2.0, a device that uses Deep Learning image recognition to automatically identify and quantify in real time the entire catch on board fishing vessels. It builds upon two previous prototypes, improving image quality by using line scan technology. Two neural networks are used for fish species segmentation, identification, and length regression tasks. As main results of this disruptive technology, the iObserver 2.0 distinguishes more than twice the number of species than previous version, works with area scan and line scan camera images, and it is evaluated with a test set incorporating more complex images. An experimental fishing survey has been conducted to assess the system’s performance in real-life conditions, showing promising results in terms of total catch registration of target and discard fish species., Peer Reviewed

O desenvolvemento de tecnoloxías e metodoloxías con alto grao de automatización para a recollida masiva e sistemática de datos esenciais e o uso de técnicas de mostraxe non invasivas, son claves para a xestión do ecosistema mariño. A actuación 3.5 (Automatización e integración da recollida de datos de pesqueiras) abordará unha estratexia baseada na aplicación de diversos tipos de tecnoloxías e na súa validación por comparación cos métodos tradicionais, tendo en conta datos de campañas oceanográficas e de buques comerciais. A dixitalización e as solucións tecnolóxicas innovadoras están xurdindo rapidamente para mellorar significativamente o potencial de recollida de datos, a precisión e a verificación da información, o rexistro automático de capturas, os informes e o seguemento, control e cumprimento (MCS), ao mesmo tempo que se reducen os custos. Entre estas solucións inclúense a monitorización electrónica (EM) e a aplicación de tecnoloxías de visión por computador combinadas con intelixencia artificial (IA) para a identificación e cuantificación das capturas totais

The self-repair capacity of human tissue is limited, motivating the arising of tissue engineering (TE) in building temporary scaffolds that envisage the regeneration of human tissues, including articular cartilage. However, despite the large number of preclinical data available, current therapies are not yet capable of fully restoring the entire healthy structure and function on this tissue when significantly damaged. For this reason, new biomaterial approaches are needed, and the present work proposes the development and characterization of innovative polymeric membranes formed by blending marine origin polymers, in a chemical free cross-linking approach, as biomaterials for tissue regeneration. The results confirmed the production of polyelectrolyte complexes molded as membranes, with structural stability resulting from natural intermolecular interactions between the marine biopolymers collagen, chitosan and fucoidan. Furthermore, the polymeric membranes presented adequate swelling ability without compromising cohesiveness (between 300 and 600%), appropriate surface properties, revealing mechanical properties similar to native articular cartilage. From the different formulations studied, the ones performing better were the ones produced with 3 % shark collagen, 3% chitosan and 10% fucoidan, as well as with 5% jellyfish collagen, 3% shark collagen, 3% chitosan and 10% fucoidan. Overall, the novel marine polymeric membranes demonstrated to have promising chemical, and physical properties for tissue engineering approaches, namely as thin biomaterial that can be applied over the damaged articular cartilage aiming its regeneration

Corneal pathologies from infectious or noninfectious origin have a significant impact on the daily lives of millions of people worldwide. Despite the risk of organ rejection or infection, corneal transplantation is currently the only effective treatment. Finding safe and innovative strategies is the main goal of tissue-engineering-based approaches. In this study, the potential of gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) hydrogels produced from marine-derived gelatin and loaded with ascorbic acid (as an enhancer of the biological activity of cells) was evaluated for corneal stromal applications. Marine GelMA was synthesized with a methacrylation degree of 75%, enabling effective photocrosslinking, and hydrogels with or without ascorbic acid were produced, encompassing human keratocytes. All the produced formulations exhibited excellent optical and swelling properties with easy handling as well as structural stability and adequate degradation rates that may allow proper extracellular matrix remodeling by corneal stromal cells. Formulations loaded with 0.5 mg/mL of ascorbic acid enhanced the biological performance of keratocytes and induced collagen production. These results suggest that, in addition to marine-derived gelatin being suitable for the synthesis of GelMA, the hydrogels produced are promising biomaterials for corneal regeneration applications

Bioprinting – printing with incorporated living cells – has earned special attention on tissue engineering approaches, aiming to closer reproduce the 3D microenvironment of the target tissue. However, it raises extra complexity related to the need to use cell-friendly printing conditions that still comply with material printing fidelity. Inspired by the composite nano structural organization of mineralized tissues, this work reports the efficiency of the chemical approach followed to in situ mineralize blue shark skin collagen, at a nano scale level, to ultimately produce stable inks. The influence of initial cellular density was evaluated by assessing three different concentrations (2.5, 5 and 7.5 × 106 cells·ml−1) of human adipose stem cells (hASC), with the higher density of encapsulated cells presenting improved viability in a long culture term. Immunodetection of osteogenic-related markers, like RUNX2 and osteopontin, 21 days after cell culture in basal conditions confirmed the potential of the ink to be applied for osteogenic purposes, which may be associated with the success of the cell-to-ink interaction and the Ca2+ ions released from the co-precipitated hydroxyapatite. A combination of mineralized shark collagen, alginate and hASC is thus proposed as a bioactive bioink with potential properties for regeneration of bone tissue

The successful implementation of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) depends, at a large extent, on the capacity to quantify total catches on board commercial vessels Because of the large number of fishing vessels and the high number of trips to be monitored, classic monitoring methods mainly based on inspections, are not effective --> The use of electronic devices to quantify fishing catches is gaining relevance The data provided by such devices, in combination with mathematical models, may be used to assess the state of the different fishing stocks and to optimize the fishing activity Increasingly though, technology has quickly developed during the last years to provide vision and artificial intelligence based remote Electronic Monitoring (REM or EM systems) at lower costs, and with more potential to cover large areas than traditional monitoring strategies

In the recent decade, marine origin products have been growingly studied as building blocks complying with the constant demand of the biomedical sector regarding the development of new devices for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine (TERM). In this work, several combinations of marine collagen-chitosan-fucoidan hydrogel were formed using a newly developed eco-friendly compressive and absorption methodology to produce hydrogels (CAMPH), which consists of compacting the biopolymers solution while removing the excess of water. The hydrogel formulations were prepared by blending solutions of 5% collagen from jellyfish and/or 3% collagen from blue shark skin, with solutions of 3% chitosan from squid pens and solutions of 10% fucoidan from brown algae, at different ratios. The biopolymer physico-chemical characterization comprised Amino Acid analysis, ATR-FTIR, CD, SDS-PAGE, ICP, XRD, and the results suggested the shark/jellyfish collagen(s) conserved the triple helical structure and had similarities with type I and type II collagen, respectively. The studied collagens also contain a denaturation temperature of around 30–32 °C and a molecular weight between 120 and 125 kDa. Additionally, the hydrogel properties were determined by rheology, water uptake ability, degradation rate, and SEM, and the results showed that all formulations had interesting mechanical (strong viscoelastic character) and structural stability properties, with a significant positive highlight in the formulation of H3 (blending all biopolymers, i.e., 5% collagen from jellyfish, 3% collagen from skin shark, 3% chitosan and 10% of fucoidan) in the degradation test, that shows a mass loss around 18% over the 30 days, while the H1 and H2, present a mass loss of around 35% and 44%, respectively. Additionally, the in vitro cellular assessments using chondrocyte cells (ATDC5) in encapsulated state revealed, for all hydrogel formulations, a non-cytotoxic behavior. Furthermore, Live/Dead assay and Phal

The host immunologic response to a specific material is a critical aspect when considering it for clinical implementation. Collagen and gelatin extracted from marine sources have been proposed as biomaterials for tissue engineering applications, but there is a lack of information in the literature about their immunogenicity. In this work, we evaluated the immune response to collagen and/or gelatin from blue shark and codfish, previously extracted and characterized. After endotoxin evaluation, bone marrow-derived macrophages were exposed to the materials and a panel of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines were evaluated both for protein quantification and gene expression. Then, the impact of those materials in the host was evaluated through peritoneal injection in C57BL/6 mice. The results suggested shark collagen as the less immunogenic material, inducing low expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines as well as inducible nitric oxide synthase (encoded by Nos2) and high expression of Arginase 1 (encoded by Arg1). Although shark gelatin appeared to be the material with higher pro-inflammatory expression, it also presents a high expression of IL-10 (anti-inflammatory cytokine) and Arginase (both markers for M2-like macrophages). When injected in the peritoneal cavity of mice, our materials demonstrated a transient recruitment of neutrophil, being almost non-existent after 24 hours of injection. Based on these findings, the studied collagenous materials can be considered interesting biomaterial candidates for regenerative medicine as they may induce an activation of the M2-like macrophage population, which is involved in suppressing the inflammatory processes promoting tissue remodeling

High molecular weight (Mw) collagen hydrolysates have been demonstrated to produce a higher synthesis of collagen type I mRNA. Mw determination is a key factor maximizing the effect of collagen hydrolysates on collagen type I synthesis by fibroblasts. This work aimed to achieve a high average Mw in Blue Shark Collagen Hydrolysate, studying different hydrolysis parameters by GPC-LS analysis and testing its effect on mRNA Type I collagen expression. Analysis revealed differences in blue shark collagen hydrolysates Mw depending on hydrolysis conditions. Papain leads to obtaining a significantly higher Mw hydrolysate than Alcalase at different times of hydrolysis and at different enzyme/substrate ratios. Besides, the time of the hydrolysis factor is more determinant than the enzyme/substrate ratio factor for obtaining a higher or lower hydrolysate Mw when using Papain as the enzyme. Contrary, Alcalase hydrolysates resulted in similar Mw with no significant differences between different conditions of hydrolysis assayed. Blue shark collagen hydrolysate showing the highest Mw showed neither cytotoxic nor proliferation effect on fibroblast cell culture. Besides, it exhibited an increasing effect on both mRNA expression and pro-collagen I production

The canning industry plays a crucial role in the sector of marine foods, but produces several organic wastes and effluents with reduced economic value that must be upgraded to comply with the circular bioeconomy principles. Initially, we have searched the best experimental conditions for the hydrolysis of upper and lower halves from yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) heads by four commercial proteases (alcalase, papain, protamex and esperase). Then, optimal conditions were corroborated at 5 L pH-Stat reactor producing fish oil, bones and fish protein hydrolysates (FPH). Alcalase and esperase applied on upper head were the options that led to the largest volumes of oils recovered, and the highest degrees of hydrolysis, digestion yields and concentrations of protein in FPH. Fish oils showed an excellent content in omega-3 fatty acids, mainly the highly valued docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). In the case of FPH, the proportion of human essential amino acids was higher than 40% and the average protein size in the interval 1400–1800 Da. Finally, these hydrolysates were incorporated, as source of protein material in substitution of commercial peptones, in two types of bacterial culture media (marine and Man-Rogosa-Sharpe, MRS). The bioproductions of the four bacteria assayed (two lactic acid bacteria and two marine probiotic bacteria) in the low-cost media formulated with tuna hydrolysates were generally similar or even higher than found in commercial broths. The whole of these results evidenced the validity of the present proposal, aimed to the integral production of valuable biocompounds, in order to contribute to a more sustainable tuna canning industry

Aging of skin is a complex process that includes genetic and environmental factors affecting to the degradation of the extracellular matrix (EM) in both the dermis and epidermis1. Collagen hydrolysates have been demonstrated to prevent skin aging by stimulating the collagen synthesis in fibroblast culture. However, the stratum corneum of the skin has a lipophilic character representing a drawback for delivering hydrophilic substances, such as collagen hydrolysates, to the lower layers of the skin where the fibroblasts are located2. Lipid nanoparticles systems have been recently used to encapsulate and transport dermatological interesting molecules. Due to their physicochemical compatibility with the EM and their “nano” size are excellent candidates for interacting with the skin allowing bioactive molecules to reach target cells in particular layers3. The main objective of this study was to determine the capacity of two different lipid nanoparticles systems, nanoemulsions and nanoliposomes, to incorporate hydrolyzed collagen (HC) obtained from Prionace glauca skin by-products for cosmetic applications

The use of alternative sources for gelatin extraction is in demand in today's industries. Fish skins are an economical and sustainable source option. However, there is a lack of information about the preservation state of skins (fresh, frozen, salted, etc.) and how that affects the gelatin yield and properties, and therefore, compromise the final product. In this study we present a comparative analysis between different reported gelatin extraction processes for fresh and salted codfish (Gadus morhua) skins. The extracted products were characterized based on yield of extraction, amino acid composition, molecular weight distribution, rheological properties and gel strength, as well as the cell compatibility of the gelatins envisaging future biomedical applications. Results showed that extraction method affected the yield and gelatin properties within the same type of fish skin. Thus, it was found that water acidification step, demonstrated higher extraction yield, while other methods produced gelatins rich in OH-proline + proline, promoting enhanced gel strength and rheological properties. There is thus a compromise between yield and gelatin properties that industries need to understand before selecting their gelatin extraction method. Results, also showed that gelatins derived from salted skins demonstrated lower viscoelastic properties and gel strength, when compared with gelatins from fresh skins. Our research represents a unique comparative compilation of different extraction methods in cod skins differently conserved, as a tool on the quest for the sustainable valorization of fish by-products, included in a circular economy framework

Gelatin is generally known as the product derived from thermal denaturation of collagen given origin to an unfolding and cleavage of the triple helix resulting in a polydisperse mixture of polymers [1]. Due to the similarities with collagen, it has been widely used in tissue engineering applications to produce new biomaterials or as cellular carrier [1,2]. The primary sources of gelatins are from mammal origin, yet by-products of the fishery industry have also been considered as raw materials for gelatin production [3]. Different extraction processes are described in literature to obtain gelatins from fish skins, however there is a lack of information about the preservation of those skins (fresh, frozen, salted, etc.) and how that affects the final yield and properties of gelatin. In this study we present a comparative analysis between gelatins produced from fresh and salted codfish (Gadus morhua) skins using different extraction protocols based on methodologies described in literature. The characterization of the materials was assessed based on yield of extraction, amino acid composition, molecular weight distribution, rheological properties, and gel strength, as well as the cell compatibility of the gelatins envisaging future biomedical application. Methodologies using sulphuric + citric acid during the washing processes and a thermal extraction in water demonstrated to produce gelatins rich in OH-proline + proline, enhanced gel strength and rheological behavior, and with higher melting points. Differences between fresh and salted skins were found, with gelatins derived from salted skins demonstrating lower viscoelastic properties, as well as gel strength, when compared with gelatins from fresh skins. Our research has highlighted the importance of choosing the right protocol according to the final application of the gelatins, as a tool on the quest for the sustainable valorization of fish by-products, included in a blue and circular bioeconomy framework

Fishing activities produce discards that need to be reduced. Apart from the production of fishmeal and fish oil, other alternatives to manage this discard fraction are possible. High‐added value bio‐compounds (such as gelatin, collagen or fish protein hydrolysates, among others) can be extracted from the previously discarded fish biomass and its by‐products. While it is clear that these valorization strategies will produce economic benefits, they also will cause an impact on the environment of variable magnitude. Therefore, an eco‐efficiency assessment is necessary to discern which processes are most suitable for planning a valorization strategy. Within this type of wasted organic material, biomass from cartilaginous fish offered additional valorization potential, since other compounds such as cartilage or chondroitin sulfate can be obtained. The environmental impacts of the different valorization schemes implemented and tested on a fully operative real marine biorefinery located in an important Spanish fishing port (Marín—NW Spain) were quantified using the life cycle assessment methodology, while the benefit of the proposed systems was estimated as the gross benefit. The results obtained indicate that the extraction of high value‐added bio‐compounds is generally more eco‐efficient than the established process of fishmeal production, although its environmental performance is worse. Nevertheless, these environmental impacts could be reduced by optimizing and scaling‐up the production processes and the associated equipment, especially focusing on the energy and water consumption of the plant

Salmon processing commonly involves the skinning of fish, generating by-products that need to be handled. Such skin residues may represent valuable raw materials from a valorization perspective, mainly due to their collagen content. With this approach, we propose in the present work the extraction of gelatin from farmed salmon and further valorization of the remaining residue through hydrolysis. Use of different chemical treatments prior to thermal extraction of gelatin results in a consistent yield of around 5%, but considerable differences in rheological properties. As expected from a cold-water species, salmon gelatin produces rather weak gels, ranging from 0 to 98 g Bloom. Nevertheless, the best performing gelatins show considerable structural integrity, assessed by gel permeation chromatography with light scattering detection for the first time on salmon gelatin. Finally, proteolysis of skin residues with Alcalase for 4 h maximizes digestibility and antihypertensive activity of the resulting hydrolysates, accompanied by the sharpest reduction in molecular weight and higher content of essential amino acids. These results indicate the possibility of tuning salmon gelatin properties through changes in chemical treatment conditions, and completing the valorization cycle through production of bioactive and nutritious hydrolysates

Long life expectancy of populations in the developing world together with some cultural and social issues has driven the need to pay special attention to health and physical appearance. Cosmeceuticals are gaining interest in the cosmetic industry as their uses fulfills a double purpose: the requirements of a cosmetic (clean, perfume, protect, change the appearance of the external parts of the body or keeping them in good condition) with a particular bioactivity function. The cosmetics industry, producing both cosmetics and cosmeceuticals, is currently facing numerous challenges to satisfy different attitudes of consumers (vegetarianism, veganism, cultural or religious concerns, health or safety reasons, eco-friendly process, etc.). A currently growing trend in the market is the interest in products of low environmental impact. Marine origin ingredients are increasingly being incorporated into cosmeceutical preparations because they are able to address several consumer requirements and also due to the wide range of bioactivities they present (antioxidant, whitening, anti-aging, etc.). Many companies claim “Marine” as a distinctive marketing signal; however, only a few indicate whether they use sustainable ingredient sources. Sustainable marine ingredients might be obtained using wild marine biomass through a sustainable extractive fishing activity; by adopting valorization strategies including the use of fish discards and fish by-products; and by sustainably farming and culturing marine organisms

Monitoring plays a key role in all aspects of fsheries management, including those related to sustainable management of resources, the economic performance of the fshery, and the distribution of benefts from the exploitation of the fshery and environment. In this work, software improvements made on the remote electronic monitoring (REM) device iObserver are described towards the improvement of fsheries monitoring by precisely identifying and quantifying fshing catches on board commercial vessel´s. To this aim, we exploit deep learning and convolutional neural networks (CNNs) capabilities and potential

Representing a strategy of marine by-products valorization, based on isolation of biocompounds and assessment of biomedical applicability, the potential of blue shark (Prionace glauca (PG)) skin collagen to induce chondrogenic differentiation of human adipose stem cells (hASC) was investigated, with and without exogenous stimulation. For that, a cryogelation method was applied to produce highly interconnected porous 3-dimensional (3D) constructs made of collagen and collagen:hyaluronic acid (20:1). In vitro studies reveal that hASC adhere abundantly to the constructs which then suggests the early chondrogenic differentiation of those cells. These findings are supported by the mRNA expression encoding chondrogenic-related markers like Coll II and Sox-9 that are markedly upregulated at an early stage for both conditions, with and without exogenous stimulation. The introduction of hyaluronic acid (Hya) seems to play a crucial role at later time points, as shown by the evident immunodetection of aggrecan (ACAN), even without exogenous stimulation. It is hypothesized that the PG collagen itself can support chondrogenic differentiation at early time points, but exogenous stimulation is required to ensure phenotype maintenance. The present work highlights the relevance of using blue shark collagen biopolymer as a building block to produce highly effective temporary matrices for cartilage applications

The valorization of wastes generated in the processing of farmed fish is currently an issue of extreme relevance for the industry, aiming to accomplish the objectives of circular bioeconomy. In the present report, turbot (Scophthalmus maximus) by-products were subjected to Alcalase hydrolysis under the optimal conditions initially defined by response surface methodology. All the fish protein hydrolysates (FPHs) showed a high yield of digestion (>83%), very remarkable degrees of hydrolysis (30–37%), high content of soluble protein (>62 g/L), an excellent profile of amino acids, and almost total in vitro digestibility (higher than 92%). Antioxidant and antihypertensive activities were analyzed in all cases, viscera hydrolysates being the most active. The range of average molecular weights (Mw) of turbot hydrolysates varied from 1200 to 1669 Da, and peptide size distribution showed that the hydrolysate of viscera had the highest content of peptides above 1000 Da and below 200 Da.

Los residuos y descartes generados por la industria pesquera representan una fuente valiosa de biomateriales que pueden ser recuperados mediante procesos de valorización. Algunos de estos materiales son ampliamente investigados en medicina regenerativa, en muchos casos proyectando aplicaciones con potencial impacto en el envejecimiento saludable. Dentro de una perspectiva de sostenibilidad, se describen los procesos de obtención, características y aplicaciones del sulfato de condroitina, ácido hialurónico, quitosano, gelatina y colágeno de origen marino, ya que, por su bioactividad, accesibilidad y abundancia presentan una mayor viabilidad como productos de alto valor en medicina regenerativa

Mineralization processes based on coprecipitation methods have been applied as a promising alternative to the most commonly used methods of polymer–ceramic combination, direct mixing, and incubation in simulated body fluid (SBF) or modified SBF. In the present study, for the first time, the in situ mineralization (ideally hydroxyapatite formation) of blue shark (Prionace glauca (PG)) collagen to fabricate 3D printable cell-laden hydrogels is proposed. In the first part, several parameters for collagen mineralization were tested until optimization. The hydroxyapatite formation was confirmed by FT-IR, XRD, and TEM techniques. In the second part, stable bioinks combining the biomimetically mineralized collagen with alginate (AG) (1:1, 1:2, 1:3, and AG) solution were used for 3D printing of hydrogels. The addition of Ca2+ ions into the system did present a synergistic effect: by one side, the in situ mineralization of the collagen occurred, and at same time, they were also useful to ionically cross-link the blends with alginate, avoiding the addition of any cytotoxic chemical cross-linking agent. Mouse fibroblast cell line survival during and after printing was favored by the presence of PG collagen as exhibited by the biological performance of the hydrogels. Inspired in a concept of marine byproduct valorization, 3D bioprinting of in situ mineralized blue shark collagen is thus proposed as a promising approach, envisioning the engineering of mineralized tissues

Acid-soluble collagens from European hake and Blue shark skin were isolated, characterized, and compared. As the structure of collagen determines its function, the final objective of this study was to investigate biochemical differences between both collagens to identify future potential applications. Chromatographic behavior revealed differences in collagen from both species. Increases of temperature and stirring time produced no effect on European hake collagen solubility in the mobile phase, resulting in the same chromatographic profiles. Conversely, the application of temperature and stirring-time increments showed a positive effect on Blue shark collagen solubility, resulting in different chromatographic profiles and observing higher molecular weight components when sample is incubated at 50 °C (15 min) after 48 h stirring. To test if the different chromatographic behavior exhibited by both collagens could be influenced by differences in subunit composition (alpha-chains), cation exchange chromatography was employed to separate collagen subunits. The electrophoretic patterns and gel permeation chromatography with light-scattering detection (GPC-LS) results of the obtained cation exchange peak fractions revealed differences regarding subunit composition between both species, influencing the crosslinking pattern. This is the first comparative study using GPC-LS to provide information of European hake and Blue shark collagen subunit composition.

Overfishing contributes to the depletion of fish stocks. Among fishing practices, discarding fish is a waste of valuable resources and results in lost income that is associated with its effects on future stock growth. This practice depends on several factors, although trawl fisheries account for the highest quantity of discards. In this work, the effects of a specific section of the Galician (Northwestern Spain) bottom trawl fishery were evaluated by using the ecological footprint, focusing on the contribution of the rate of discards. We selected fishing grounds and carbon footprints as the categories for the analysis. The results showed that 11.6 global hectares (gha) per metric ton of catch were required for an average fishing trip, ranging between 2.2 and 27.1 gha per metric ton. Discards represented 55% of this value, while the carbon footprint only represented 11%. Therefore, measures are needed to reduce the significant effects of discards, especially in these fisheries. The findings indicate that the discard ban promoted by the Common Fisheries Policy could reduce the ecological footprint of these fisheries by 3.4 gha per metric ton of catch landed on average

In compliance with the new legal framework defined as the landing obligation (LO), established in Article 15 of the Common Fisheries Policy by the EU, all the individuals of species subject to the total allowable catches regulation must be kept on-board, landed, and quantified against their corresponding quota. In addition, specimens with a size below the minimum legal size cannot be used for direct human consumption. Therefore, appropriate solutions should be implemented to accordingly manage this new biomass as well as to avoid its waste, making the best possible use by designing value chains to valorise it. To select the best valorisation alternative in each case, it is necessary to know in advance a set of relevant aspects such as the number of different species and the quantities that will actually arrive at port, the existence of available infrastructures in the proximity of fishing ports, and the real market possibilities of the products obtained. In this work, an integrated on-land management and valorisation approach is presented for new marine biomass that lands in 2019 when the LO is fully implemented. The facility in this approach is called the Integral Discards Valorisation Point. The processes executed in this pilot plant were performed by applying a bio-refinery concept for management and upgrade