During the segment, Dr. Beaulieu emphasizes the importance of wastewater reduction and management. As she puts it, “for crab and lobster production, it’s around 800,000 litres [of wastewater] that is generated per day, for around 20,000 kilograms of cooked product. That’s a lot, considering there are many days in the season.”
The capsule also stars Les ê Marinard, a Gaspé company best known for its cooked, frozen Nordic shrimp, and their Quality Director, Serge Lacasse. The company has already demonstrated its commitment to sustainable practices and upcycles the shrimp shells obtained as a co-product by drying and grinding them to create a powder with numerous applications. Thanks to this research, they plan to further improve their environmental impact by upcycling the wastewater left behind after steam cooking the shrimp.
By creating flavor ingredients from sources that are usually discarded, the inter-institution research team is demonstrating a sustainable approach to crab, lobster, shrimp, and seaweed processing.
The collaboration between researchers and industry leaders showcased the potential for positive environmental impact through innovation and partnership. The Consortium for Research, Innovation and the Transformation of Agri-food and its Pre-competitive Networks are funded by the Ministère de l’Agriculture, des ê et de l’Alimentation du Québec and is supported by 山ǿ.
(available in French only).