SC research results in pioneering production of canned oysters in Brazil A research in Santa Catarina resulted in pioneering production of canned oysters in Brazil. The idea is to offer tourists the option of taking some of Florianópolis' cuisine back home. ?Click and follow the g1 SC channel on WhatsApp Researchers from the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC) worked on the project to guarantee the health safety of the food. The production of canned oysters will help shellfish farmers deal with variations in shellfish farming throughout the year and the influence of climate. ??Santa Catarina is currently responsible for 98% of oyster and shellfish production in Brazil. In Florianópolis, mariculture was introduced in the 1980s. The activity boosts the local economy, stimulates tourism and generates income for hundreds of families. More options for producing and selling molluscs The idea of ??making canned oysters came from Helton Costa, who is a chef in Florianópolis. He wanted to offer visitors the option of taking food home. "Tourists already come with the mentality that Santa Catarina is the largest mariculture in Brazil and the seafood from Santa Catarina also stands out as the best in Brazil. Being able to take a can as a gift or to eat later, to remember the trip, is even better", declared the chef. It took a year and a half of research and testing to get the idea off the ground. In addition to oysters and mussels, the process is also being applied to squid, octopus and cod. One of the biggest difficulties is maintaining the original taste of seafood. "That was the challenge for the chefs. The scientists took care of the sterilization, the microbiological part. My part was to ensure that the product did not lose in terms of texture, flavor and appearance", explained Costa. Preparation involves sorting, heating and weighing products before they are canned. The last stage of manufacturing takes place on a machine. It is capable of sterilizing products already inside the can. University scientists defined the exact temperature, pressure and cooling parameters for each of the canned goods. This guarantees the health safety of the food. UFSC researcher Giustino Tribuzi explained that canned goods, which have a longer shelf life, need even more attention in this regard. "These products must be free of microorganisms that are capable of developing under storage conditions", declared the researcher. The company, located in the Saco Grande neighborhood, received certification by the Municipal Inspection Service of Florianópolis. The body is responsible for ensuring that animal products produced in the municipality meet quality and food safety standards. According to the city hall, it is the first canned oyster and mussel industry in the country. The products are now on sale and cost between R$79.12 and R$99.23 per can, depending on the shellfish. The options are squid, mussels, octopus and oysters. How a rare phenomenon has left oysters greenish in Florianópolis Climate changes affect oyster production in SC Canned oysters - manufactured in Florianópolis Reproduction/NSC TV Canned production can help deal with instabilities in mariculture One of the biggest challenges in mariculture is dealing with production instabilities. Climate variations sometimes cause an excess and sometimes a shortage of oysters. The initiative paves the way for a new stage of industrialization in the sector. "This diversification of products and forms of packaging is very important for mariculture because it allows added value and can, therefore, serve new differentiated markets", declared Felipe Suplicy, researcher at the Agricultural Research and Rural Extension Company of Santa Catarina (Epagri). This year, in April, the sector went through a historic crisis, related to climate change. Experts point out that the main cause of the problem was the increase in seawater temperature. Canned molluscs produced in Florianópolis PMF/Disclosure