Project
Diagnostics for biorefinery of marine resources to animal health application
Low trophic marine biomass will play an important role in the development of circular and climate neutral food, feed and non-food production systems. In some types of biomass, aside from their nutritional value, health promoting properties may be present, such as the animal health promoting properties found in mussels. Using biorefinery, it may be possible to produce several fractions of the biomass, each with its own application, hereby ensuring a higher resource use efficiency and maximum valorisation.
Diagnostic tests that can be applied both in the development of these biorefinery processes, as well as in the evaluation of health promoting properties of different types of biomass food, feed and non-food production systems are lacking. With the application of diagnostic tests, developments at this interface of biorefinery and animal health can take place at much higher efficiency and speed, as effect and efficacy of process steps can be monitored directly. In this project we focus on the evaluation of health promoting properties for animal feed, with sole as a model species. At the same time, the effect of biorefinery processing on the concentration of contaminants and therefore on feed and food safety is being investigated.
This project combines biorefinery of low trophic marine organisms with animal health by the development of diagnostics and research on feed and food safety.
Abstract
Continuing ongoing work, in 2021 WFBR will further develop the assay that allows bioactivity screening. The biorefinery process that was developed in 2020 will be optimized to produce specific proteins and peptide fractions, isolated from mussels as a model for a low trophic marine resource. These fractions will be used in the bioactivity assay and in in vitro tests at WLR. These tests indicate which proteins and peptide fraction(s) might have an effect in vivo on fish to alleviate anaemic blood values, using sole as model species. WFSR continues the work of hazard identification and the effect of biorefinery on contaminants on the processes involved.