Alquabiotic is an aquaculture project to improve the digestibility and immune system of fish with high-protein microalgae enriched with probiotic micro-organisms.
Project objectives
The main objective of the project is the development of aquaculture feeds in which traditional fishmeal is replaced by a high-protein microalgae meal, since fishmeal is a growing environmental sustainability problem due to the increase in fish catches for the development of aquaculture feeds, and previous studies have shown that the use of microalgae in this type of feed improves the digestibility and immune system of the fish fed with it.
In addition to microalgae, the project will work on the incorporation of probiotic microorganisms in the formulations of this type of feed as a novel strategy to reduce the use of antibiotics in aquaculture practices, as well as on the inclusion of enzymes that improve the characteristics, assimilation and digestibility of aquaculture feed.
The ALQUABIOTIC project comprehensively outlines a new feed concept in which the lead company GLOBAL FEED will be responsible for the development and evaluation of new additives, Biorizon Biotech will be in charge of studying new microalgae with potential for use as substitutes for fishmeal, as well as their processing, and DMC Research Center will be the consortium member responsible for studying and optimising new probiotic microorganisms.
DMC Research Center has extensive experience in the development of probiotic microorganisms and has a biotechnology facility and plant, as well as experience in aquaculture feed projects such as the Aquahealth, a project developed by CTAQUA in which natural extracts were used in aquaculture feed to improve the immune system of fish.
An Andalusian consortium
The Andalusian consortium set up to develop the ALQUABIOTIC project is led by the Huelva-based animal feed additives company. Global Feed, belonging to the Tervalis Business Group, together with the Almeria-based company specialising in microalgae and derived products for agriculture and animal feed, as well as the Granada-based biotechnology company DMC Research Center, located in Alhendín.
In addition, the companies will be supported by the University of Almeria, the University of Granada and Fertinagro Biotech. In turn, the project will be coordinated by CLEVER I+C, an Almeria-based R&D consultancy firm specialising in Biotechnology and Agri-Food with headquarters in the Almeria Science and Technology Park (PITA) and in Madrid, which has been the ideologist and promoter of the project.
Together with the business consortium, the research centres involved are the University of Almeria (research groups RNM346-Aquatic ecology and aquaculture and BIO173-Biotechnology of marine microalgae), the University of Granada (research group BIO160-Study of antagonistic substances produced by microorganisms) and the company Fertinagro Biotech, which is responsible for providing support in biotechnological developments to the leading company Global Feed.
Call for proposals ERDF-Innterconecta
The ALQUABIOTIC Project, which will be developed in a coordinated manner by each of its members in the Andalusian provinces of Huelva, Granada and Almeria, has a budget of 1,067,387.00 € and an execution period of 27 months, from October 2018 to December 2020.
The project has been selected to receive a grant from the FEDER-INNTERCONECTA 2018 Programme, co-financed by the European Union's Structural Funds, which aims to support experimental development initiatives in the form of projects in cooperation between companies, with a geographical location in Andalusia, the Canary Islands, Castilla La Mancha, Castilla-León, Extremadura and Murcia.
The FEDER INNTERCONECTA 2018 call is subsidised by the CDTI, supported by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities and co-financed with ERDF Funds (European Union Structural Funds) within the Operational Programme for Intelligent Growth 2014-2020.
ERDF European Regional Development Funds
«A way of doing Europe»
