ANIMAL4Aqua

Partners

Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar (UP).

Summary

The sustainability of European aquaculture, both economic and environmental, depends largely on the compound feed industry's ability to place on the market “premium” diets, of high quality, that are able to respond to consumer demands, at the most competitive prices while respecting the environment. To meet this challenge, the promoter Sorgal, who’s aquafeed business area has great relevance for the company, along with two industrial partners involved in the treatment and recovery of animal by-products (AVICASAL and SAVINOR), seek synergies with the objective of promoting and stimulating innovation through 1) the identification and valorisation of terrestrial ingredients of animal origin, locally produced, with the most suitable profile for European seabass, a species of high commercial value; and 2) the development of a new range of aquafeeds, more sustainable and specific for European seabass, with more competitive prices and resulting in better performance. As end products, ANIMAL4Aqua will acquire new scientific knowledge and find technical solutions that will enable the identification and adding value to ingredients and/or combinations of terrestrial ingredients of low value, resulting either from the processing of animal by-products or from insect production, in order to replace the maximum amount of the traditional fish meal and fish oil in diets for European seabass. Maximum levels of inclusion will be determined, as well as the economic and ecological impact associated with the use of the various ingredients. The selection of more sustainable and economically feasible raw materials will conserve natural resources and significantly reduce the carbon footprint and consequently the environmental impact of aquaculture, supporting the sustainability strategy of aquafeed manufacturing and by-product processing companies. The knowledge generated by the project will have important economic repercussions for these industries, boosting the commercial value of these raw materials in new client segments and in the domestic and international market. Additionally, the identification of sustainable ingredients, locally produced, will minimize imports of raw materials for the EU and turn this industry more competitive and independent of fluctuations in global markets. Incorporating the best technical solutions will allow us to build a prototype of aquafeed, resulting in a new range of high performance feeds for European seabass, more sustainable and with unique characteristics from currently marketed feeds. This new product will increase the zootechnical performance of this species, never neglecting animal welfare and ensuring the nutritional and organoleptic characteristics of the final product. The promotor, by producing and selling this new "premium" product range of high performance for European seabass, expects to increase the diversity of its offer and to consolidate its leading position in the domestic market, as well as expand to international markets, reaching new customer segments and new market niches.