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The Veterinary and Animal Research Centre – CECAV – was established in 2002 and is hosted by the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD) at Vila Real. Since then, CECAV conducts basic and applied research in veterinary and animal science and aims to generate new knowledge in animal health and welfare and in animal production together with research in the area of meat safety and quality. Overall, CECAV aims to contribute to the valorisation of meat and meat products, and also to the global health under the knowledge that animal health will affect Human health.
Therefore, our all-time objective has been to develop stronger, multidisciplinary teams, directing their research efforts topics in an integrated approach. CECAV’s research is focused on two groups:
1) Sustainable Integrated Meat Production
2) Animal Health and Welfare
Since 2021, CECAV has been part of the Associated Laboratory of Animal and Veterinary Science (Al4AnimalS) with other 2 research units, exclusively dedicated to Animal and Veterinary Animal Science – CIISA (Faculty of Veterinary medicine, Lisbon) and CECA (ICBAS, Oporto). The AL4AnimalS main objective is to develop science and knowledge focused on three major global challenges. The first challenge is the need to feed a constantly growing human population with safe and nutritious animal products. A second major challenge results from the need to control emerging infectious diseases and zoonosis, which have a devastating impact on production efficiency and public health. A third major challenge is the need to find new therapeutic solutions for animal diseases, which can be used as models for human diseases. The AL4AnimalS addresses the main challenges mentioned above through the development of 3 thematic lines: (1) Green Animal Production, (2) Emerging Diseases and Zoonoses, and (3) Comparative and Translational Medicine and Biotechnology.
Since 2024, CECAV has a new management institution – The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Lusófona University.
According to the FCT’s regulations for the multi-year funding program for I&D Units, CECAV is counselled by a “Scientific Advisory Committee” that comprises three members:
José Lorenzo Rodriguez – Meat Tecnological Center (Orense, Spain)
Laura Peña – Complutense University of Madrid (Madrid, Spain)
Ramon Christina Cortazar Schmidt – University of Castilla-La Mancha (Ciudad Real, Spain)
Integrated Meat Quality to develop research focused on:
1) the use of in vivo non-invasive techniques as tools to evaluate body composition and to estimate carcass composition and quality of farm animal species.
2) assess factors that may affect sensory and chemical characteristics of meat and meat products and evaluate feasible and cost-effective strategies (e.g. packing, natural additives) to control spoilage and pathogenic microflora.
The main objectives of activities in this group are focused on two interrelated topics:
(i) Sustainable meat production multidisciplinary research teams, comprising nutritionists, veterinarians, and animal production engineers, are uniquely positioned to maximize the use of by-products in animal diets for sustainable production. This approach reduces waste, lowers production costs, and contributes to broader sustainability goals. Our research at UTAD, in collaboration with Lusófona University, focuses on functional foods as an alternative to antibiotics, novel therapeutic strategies, and microbiome health enhancers for livestock, further showcasing our expertise in this field.
(ii) Meat quality and safety-innovative solutions for sustainable meat quality and safety include the use of in vivo non-invasive techniques (e.g. ultrasonography, computerized tomography) tools to evaluate meat composition and quality (marbling). Using natural preservatives, like plant extracts (e.g. rosemary, oregano) and essential oils derived from herbs or spices with antimicrobial properties, into meat formulations to inhibit pathogen growth, improve preservation and extend the shelf life of meat products. Furthermore, research on new packaging methodologies using biodegradable polymer matrices and natural compounds with antioxidant/antimicrobial activity offers the potential to reduce food waste by extending the shelf-life of meat products, thereby contributing to a more sustainable food supply chain. Adopt measures and strategies to minimize food waste along the food of animal origin supply chain, including consumer education campaigns. During the meat-obtaining processes, reduce losses and implement circular economy principles by repurposing meat processing by-products or surplus meat into added-value products.
The research in Veterinary Public Health is focused on two interrelated topics:
1) diagnostic and prognostic of factors related to biologic issues (normal physiology, morphology, degeneration, inflammation and neoplasia) and use of biomaterials for tissues regeneration, using animal models and contributing to animal and human health and welfare,
2) prevalence and epidemiological integrative studies on zoonosis affecting animals and foodborne pathogens from food of animal origin contributing for their monitoring and evaluation of strategies for its mitigation under One Health concept.
The main objectives of activities in this group are focused on three interrelated topics:
(i) Zoonoses and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) – CECAV conducts integrative studies on zoonoses and AMR in pets, livestock, and wildlife, prioritizing policies and strategies for mitigating diseases. Wildlife research is of national and international significance, as wildlife is a relevant source of emerging zoonotic diseases to domestic animals and humans. Scientists will study essential oils and polyphenols as alternative antimicrobial therapies to fight antibiotic resistance, validating their safety and efficacy before implementing them in medical practice. Lusófona researchers use Whole Genome Sequencing to improve zoonosis epidemiology.
(ii) Animal welfare – Continuous research to enhance advanced pet care is crucial for promoting animal and human welfare and building solid human-animal relationships. Developing non-invasive and accurate diagnosis techniques, effective therapeutics, and identifying non-invasive indicators for assessing livestock stress are essential research areas. A new line of research aims to identify non-invasive biomarkers to determine animal welfare, boosting research in animal welfare.
(iii) Translational medicine focuses on research to develop advanced therapeutic and diagnostic techniques in areas like cancer and regenerative medicine to improve animal and human health outcomes and promote animal welfare. Researchers are working on tumour markers in body fluids and metronomic chemotherapy. CECAV offers unique facilities to support research on animal models to improve skeletal diseases. The inclusion of the Cell and Organoid laboratory at Lusófona University allows the development of in vitro protocols for cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, wound healing, and osteoarthritis in a range of species.
The Veterinary and Animal Reseacr Centre (CECAV) is supported by the European Investment Funds by the FEDER/COMPETE/POCI– Operacional Competitiveness and Internacionalization Programme, and by the National Funds by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) under the projects UIDB/00775/2020 and UIDP/00772/2020.
