UPV licenses shellfish safety technology to PAPPA
The University of the Philippines Visayas has granted the Pinamuk-an Aquatic Products Producers Association a one-year limited commercialization license for a bivalve depuration technology designed to make shellfish safer for consumers and help small fisheries groups move closer to formal market participation. UPV and PAPPA signed the Limited License to Commercialize Agreement on June 29,
The University of the Philippines Visayas has granted the Pinamuk-an Aquatic Products Producers Association a one-year limited commercialization license for a bivalve depuration technology designed to make shellfish safer for consumers and help small fisheries groups move closer to formal market participation.
UPV and PAPPA signed the Limited License to Commercialize Agreement on June 29, 2026, marking another step in the university’s effort to bring publicly funded research from laboratories to fishing communities and local enterprises.
The agreement gives PAPPA the right to commercially operate the UPV-developed Depuration Technology for bivalve shellfish while the association prepares its business registration and completes the requirements for a full technology licensing agreement under Republic Act No. 10055, or the Philippine Technology Transfer Act of 2009.
PAPPA is currently registered with the Department of Labor and Employment.
The licensing deal carries public welfare significance because shellfish safety affects both consumers and coastal livelihoods, especially in communities where oysters, mussels, and other bivalves provide food, income, and small-business opportunities.
For producers, access to validated depuration technology can improve product quality, reduce health risks from bacterial contamination, and strengthen consumer confidence in locally produced seafood.
Representing UPV during the ceremonial signing were Prof. Reynold D. Tan, acting vice chancellor for planning and development and director of the Technology Transfer and Business Development Office, and Ms. Rose T. Mueda, the technology generator.
Representing PAPPA were its president, Mr. Jolyn G. Patricio, and vice president, Mr. Juandro Roga.
The signing ceremony was witnessed by members of the UPV TTBDO staff, PAPPA, and interns from Romblon State University.
The depuration technology was developed by Mueda of the Institute of Fish Processing Technology, College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, UP Visayas.
The technology came out of the “Depuration and Relaying Techniques for Philippine Green Mussel (Perna viridis)” research projects implemented from 2014 to 2018 with funding support from the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development.
The research aimed to improve shellfish safety and strengthen the competitiveness of the Philippine mussel industry.
Depuration is a controlled process that allows live shellfish to purge contaminants under managed water conditions before they reach consumers.
In the Philippine setting, the technology can be especially relevant for producers seeking safer handling systems, better postharvest practices, and stronger access to markets that demand food safety assurance.
The UPV-developed technology is protected by Philippine Patent No. PH/1/2018/050164, titled “A Process to Reduce or Eliminate Bacteria in Live Bivalve Mollusk.”
The patent was filed on April 6, 2018.
PAPPA serves as the industry partner and beneficiary of the technology transfer initiative under the UPV-BFAR National Fisheries Development Center Shellfish Aquaculture for Rural Advancement and Progress Program, or SARAP.
The initiative is being carried out through the project “Enhancing Bivalve Shellfish Depuration and Primary Processing: Capacity Development for Region VI,” led by Mueda.
Under the agreement, PAPPA remains the only organization licensed to commercially operate the UPV-developed Depuration Technology.
The association also produces depurated oysters processed using the UPV-developed system, which the university has validated as safe and effective in reducing bacterial contamination.
UPV emphasized, however, that the process has clear limits.
Depuration is intended only to reduce or eliminate bacterial contaminants in live bivalve mollusks.
The university said the process has not been proven to remove or neutralize harmful algal toxins responsible for red tide events and should not be treated as a mitigation measure against red tide contamination.
That distinction is important for public safety because red tide toxins require separate monitoring and regulatory controls, and consumers should continue to rely on official shellfish advisories during harmful algal bloom events.
The licensing agreement underscores UPV’s continuing push to translate publicly funded research into practical tools for communities, fisheries enterprises, and safer seafood production.
It also reflects the broader purpose of the Philippine Technology Transfer Act of 2009, which encourages research institutions to move government-funded innovations toward public use, commercialization, and social benefit. (Ferelyn F. Oliva, UPV TTBDO IP officer)
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