Energy and Environmental Performance of Nile Tilapia Processing Methods for a Circular Economy in the Fish Industry

Lívia Paola Silva Petroski; Diego Lima Medeiros; Tito Francisco Ianda; Antonio Santos Sánchez; Luiz Vítor Oliveira Vidal

doi:10.55845/joce-2026-41200

Authors

Lívia Paola Silva Petroski School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), Salvador, Brazil Author https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0110-9633
Diego Lima Medeiros Clean Technologies Network (TECLIM), Federal University of Maranhão (UFMA), Balsas, Brazil Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6332-7217
Tito Francisco Ianda Science, Technology and Innovation (ICTI), Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), Camaçari, Brazil Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0846-7217
Antonio Santos Sánchez Institute of Science, Technology and Innovation (ICTI), Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), Camaçari, Brazil Author https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0811-9455
Luiz Vítor Oliveira Vidal School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), Salvador, Brazil Author https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9539-3510

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55845/joce-2026-41200

Keywords:

Aquaculture, Processed Nile Tilapia, Fish Cut Methods, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus

Abstract

The protein supply from fisheries has increased worldwide despite of a restricted use of sustainability metrics. Even though most studies focus on fish production, the processing and distribution stages influence significantly the performance indicators of the final products. This work evaluated the energy and environmental performance over the life cycle of Nile tilapia processed in methods for eviscerated, steak and fillet cuts and delivered to the retail market. The assessed categories were area occupation, water consumption, energy demand, global warming, acidification and eutrophication. The assessed categories’ values were the lowest in the eviscerated cut, which increased 73-85% in steak and 111-130% in fillet. Even though the Nile tilapia production stage accounted for the highest contribution in the evaluated categories (81% to 99%), the distribution stage showed potential to increase the base scenario category values by up to 81 % in the sensitivity analysis of transport distance and mode. The allocation procedures are sensitive parameters for co-products. In this regard, the consumption of eviscerated fish was identified as a strategy to promote the circular economy of the food supply in a preventive manner.

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