ENHANCED BIOREFINING METHODS FOR THE PRODUCTION OF MARINE BIOTOXINS AND MICROALGAE FISH FEED.

Advanced biorefining methods to obtain marine biotoxins and fish feed from microalgae.

Quality control of marine products for human consumption is of vital importance to ensure their marketing by a predominantly rural sector, expanding due to the increasing demand of a growing population aware that fish is a healthy food. Given the pressure on agriculture associated with climate change, the potential for sustainable sources of marine products is increasing. Industry and regulatory agencies use various analytical tools to ensure the safety of food and the quality of the marine environment. This project is focused on two lines related to the biotechnology of large-scale microalgae production to obtain value-added products:

L1-Large-scale purification of marine biotoxins, applying improved biorefinement methods, to obtain reference material (RM) and research at low cost.

Shellfish production areas are exposed to prolonged closures due to contamination by toxins from certain phytoplankton species. There are currently more than 26 biotoxins regulated by the EU and there is great pressure on researchers and control laboratories to develop tools for their analysis quickly, effectively and at low cost. The focus of this proposal is to isolate large quantities of toxins to produce MRs that ensure the sustainability and profitability of monitoring programs that support the long-term expansion and viability of the shellfish industry. The purified toxins will be available at low cost to researchers in the areas of marine environment, toxicology, pharmacology, detection assays, mechanisms of action of toxins and mitigation of their effects. Contaminated mollusks, mass cultivation of microalgae, in situ collection during algal blooms and enzymatic conversions will be used to obtain high-value toxins. Novel chromatographic columns (immunoaffinity, polymeric) will be developed and used to improve purification efficiency and thus reduce costs and increase profitability.

L2: Nutritious and sustainable microalgal biomass and mollusks for fish feed.

Commercial fish feed is largely prepared from fish meal. More than two-thirds of the world’s salmon feed production is carried out by a Dutch company (Nutreco) and another Norwegian company (Cermaq), and work is currently underway to find alternatives to fish for reasons of price, availability and sustainability. Research in this area is scarce, so there is great potential for technological innovation and development. This proposal will contribute to a more sustainable development of fish feed with high nutritional value and low cost. Microalgae represent an excellent alternative due to their great nutritional value, with a high content of amino acids and essential lipids. Small/medium scale culture techniques will be developed to determine optimal growth conditions and nutritional value that will be transferred to obtain large-scale cultures with 1200 L photobioreactors. Mussels not exploited for human consumption offer another environmentally friendly alternative, but the potential effects of mussels contaminated with toxins on fish and their consumers must be investigated. These studies require large quantities of expensive purified toxins not commercially available.