Home » ICTAN Members » Óscar Martínez Álvarez

Óscar Martínez Álvarez

Tenured Scientist

Research Groups: Development, Valorisation and Innovation of Fish Products (INNOVAPESCA)

Department: Department of Meat and Fishery Products

Short Bio

Since 2009, I work as a senior scientist in the INNOVAPESCA research group. Previously, I did a postdoctoral stay at the Marine Biology Station of Concarneau, France (Joint Research Unit Biology of marine organisms and ecosystems). My research activities focus on the valorization of fishery by-products and underutilized marine species (including halophytes coastal plants) to obtain bioactive molecules of interest as functional ingredients. These activities are carried out using a multidisciplinary approach that includes the identification and also the evaluation of bioactivity in vitro (including in cell lines) and in experimental animals, together with the evaluation of the quality of the products after the incorporation of the bioactive ingredient (encapsulation). I also focus my research on the extraction of molecules of technological interest from these sources and their effect on the quality of fish products (sensory properties, antioxidant capacity, inhibition of melanosis in crustaceans, antimicrobial activity, etc.). My main interest in the medium/long term is to deepen in the best ways of valorization of underutilized fishery resources in a sustainable way. I represent my group in the Aquaculture Cluster Acuiplus, and ICTAN in the Consumer and new products working group of the Food for Life Spain Technology Platform (PTF4LS). In recent years, I have participated in the coordination and elaboration of documents of interest for public policies.

My main achievements include obtaining extracts from underutilized marine species and coastal plants with applications in functional foods, and the identification of different molecules with bioactive or technological properties. It includes the integral valorization of these species in a Circular Economy Framework. In addition, they include the use of bioactive molecules in feeds that confer good quality to aquaculture fish without affecting their welfare. I have coordinated different national and international research projects, some of them in cooperation with developing countries, and most of them with international participation. I often participate in outreach activities such as Science Week. Almost all my articles are published in Open Access or can be found in DIGITAL CSIC. I am author of several patents and more than 80 publications (book chapters, articles in high impact journals and outreach). I have supervised an international thesis, and numerous national and international final degree and master’s theses.

Óscar Martínez-Álvarez, Marta M. Calvo, and Joaquín Gómez-Estaca (2020). Recent Advances in Astaxanthin Micro/Nanoencapsulation to Improve Its Stability and Functionality as a Food Ingredient. Marine Drugs, special issue Astaxanthin: A Potential Therapeutic Agent, 18(8), 406.

https://doi.org/10.3390/md18080406

Cindy T. Sepúlveda; José E. Zapata; Óscar Martínez-Álvarez; Ailén Alemán; M. Pilar Montero, and C. Gómez-Guillén (2021). The preferential use of a soy-rapeseed lecithin blend for the liposomal encapsulation of a tilapia viscera hydrolysate. LWT-Food Science and Technology, 139, 110530.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2020.110530

Mustapha Djellouli, M. Elvira López-Caballero, Salima Roudj, and Oscar Martínez-Álvarez (2021). Hydrolysis of Shrimp Cooking Juice Waste for the Production of Antioxidant Peptides and Proteases by Enterococcus faecalis Waste and Biomass Valorization, 12:3741–3752.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s12649-020-01263-3

Marta María Calvo, Aikaterini Tzamourani, and Oscar Martínez-Alvarez (2021). Halophytes as a potential source of melanosis-inhibiting compounds. Mechanism of inhibition of a characterized polyphenol extract of purslane (Portulaca oleacea). Food Chemistry, 355: 129649.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2021.129649

Marta María Calvo, Ana Belen Martin-Diana, Daniel Rico, María Elvira López-Caballero, and Oscar Martínez-Álvarez (2022). Antioxidant, antihypertensive, hypoglycaemic and nootropic activity of a polyphenolic extract from the halophyte ice plant (Mesembryanthemum crystallinum). Foods, Special Issue Applications of Technological and/or Bioactive Ingredients Derived from Halophytes, Marine Plants or Algae in Foods.

https://doi: 10.3390/foods11111581

Hajer Bougatef, Cristina De la Vega, Assaad Sila, Ali Bougatef, and Oscar Martinez-Alvarez (2023). Identification of ACE I-inhibitory peptides released by hydrolysis of tub gurnard (Chelidonichthys lucerna) skin proteins, and impact of their in silico gastrointestinal digestion. Marine Drugs, Special issue Sustainable Valorization of Seafood By-Products Through Recovery of Valuable Bioactive Compounds, 21, 131.

https://doi.org/10.3390/md21020131

Alisson Sisa, Roberto Arévalo, Lucía Buitron, Cristina Sotomayor, Oscar Martínez-Alvarez, Joaquín Gómez-Estaca, and Mauricio Esteban Mosquera (2023). Evaluation of by-products from agricultural, livestock and fishing industries as nutrient source for the production of proteolytic enzymes. Heliyon 9, e20735.

DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e20735

Research project (ref. 320536, ID 225783): Enhancing the potential of Calanus as raw material for sustainable aquaculture feed ingredients (CALAFEED).
Main Researcher: Dr Inger Beate Standal (Sintef Ocean AS), Oscar Martínez (INNOVAPESCA).
Duration: 1/2/2021 – 31/12/2024
Funding entity: Research Council of Norway.

Project National R&D&I Programme Challenges of Society (ref. PID2020-116142RB-I00): Valorisation of underused marine invertebrates with interest in functional feeding (MarInvFood).
Main researcher: Oscar Martínez, Elvira López Caballero.
Duration: 1/9/2021 – 31/8/2024

Project: Aquaculture sustainability and resilience through nutritional strategies (ACUISOST).
Main researcher: Oscar Martínez.
Duration: 30/12/2021 – 15/10/2023
Financing Entity: Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. Subsidised according to the regulatory bases published in Royal Decree 685/2021, of 3 August, and within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan.

Research project (ref. 280498): Unlocking novel product possibilities and barriers for commercial use of whitefish residual raw materials onboard factory trawler (Whitefish).
Main researcher: Dr Age Oterhals (Nofima), Oscar Martínez (INNOVAPESCA).
Duration:1/1/2018 – 31/12/2023
Funding entity: Research Council of Norway.

Project i-COOP (ref. COOPA22013). Towards a sustainable fisheries sector: New perspectives on the recovery of by-products and underutilised species from Spain and Ecuador.
Main researcher: Oscar Martínez.
Duration: 1/1/2023 – 31/12/2024

Project i-COOP+ (Ref. COOPA20192). Extraction, characterisation and functionality of sulfated polysaccharides from seafood processing wastes. Development Project with Tunisia.
Main researcher: Oscar Martínez.
Duration: 1/1/2018 – 31/12/2019

Project National Plan (State Programme R&D&I Challenges of Society, ref. AGL2014-52825-R). Use of coastal halophile plants and “discards” of fisheries for the design and development of functional fishery products (HALOFISH).
Responsible researchers: Elvira López y Oscar Martínez.
Duration: 1/1/2015 – 31/12/2018
Project financed with FEDER funds.

915492300 ext. 436404

oscar.martinez@ictan.csic.es

ORCID:
0000-0002-9643-1619