Life Cycle Assessment of fresh and canned mussel processing and consumption in Galicia (NW Spain)

The environmental assessment of the processing and consumption of mussels of the species Mytilus galloprovincialis was carried out for both fresh and canned mussels. For this purpose, the application of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) was considered. Inventories for mussel purification in dispatch centres and mussel transformation in canning factories were performed, along with those for household consumption of fresh and canned mussels. Environmental characterization results were computed for different impact categories, including abiotic depletion, global warming, ecotoxicity, human toxicity, acidification, ozone layer depletion, photochemical oxidant formation and eutrophication. As a whole, the environmental hot spots for fresh mussel processing included electricity and chlorine gas production, as well as water discharge in dispatch centres. Similarly, the environmental hot spots for canned mussel processing comprised electricity production, can production and transport, oil production, and fuel oil production. Finally, the implementation of the previous mussel culture stage into the LCA of mussel processing and consumption showed the relevant role of the mussel culture system when assessing the potential environmental impacts of mussel-based products.