The sustainability of European aquaculture, both economic and environmental, relies on the compound feed industry’s ability to place on the market high quality “premium” diets that are able to respond to consumer demands, at the most competitive prices while respecting the environment. Thus, and considering the urge to find protein and lipid sources as an alternative to the traditional, unsustainable and expensive sources, the promoter SORGAL, an aquafeed producer, together with two industrial partners involved in the treatment and recovery of animal by-products (AVICASAL and SAVINOR) partnered with a R&D unit (ICBAS – University of Porto) selected by its ability to develop technical-scientific solutions. These solutions will be used internally by the consortium enterprises, but also externally by other companies, through the extensive dissemination of the obtained results.

This consortium, which composes the ANIMAL4Aqua project, seeks synergies with the goal of promoting and stimulating innovation through: 

1. The identification and valorization of locally produced land animal ingredients with the most suitable profile for European seabass, a species of high commercial value. Terrestrial ingredients obtained from processed animal by-products, or from insect production, will be tested as fishmeal and fish oil replacements in diets for European seabass. The economic and ecological impacts associated with the use of the various ingredients will also be assessed.

2. The development of a new, more sustainable, range of aquafeeds, specific for European seabass, with competitive prices and resulting in better performance – incorporating the best technical solutions will allow the creation of a new range of high performance feeds for European seabass, enhancing the zootechnical performance of this species and ensuring the nutritional and organoleptic characteristics of the final product.

Scientific Publications

Basto, A, Calduch, J, Oliveira, B, Petit, L, Sá T, Maia, MRG, Cabral-Fonseca, S, Matos, E, Pérez-Sánchez, J, Valente, LMP. 2021. The use of defatted Tenebrio molitor larvae meal as a main protein source is supported in European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) by data on growth performance, lipid metabolism and flesh quality. Frontiers In Physiology 12: 659567. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2021.659567

Basto, A, Matos, E, Valente, LMP. 2020. Nutritional value of different insect larvae meals as protein sources for European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) juveniles. Aquaculture 521: 735085. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2020.735085

Campos, I, Matos, E, Aragão, C, Pintadom, M, Valente, LMP. 2017. Apparent digestibility coefficients of processed agro-food byproducts in European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) juveniles. Aquacult Nutr. 2018; 24: 1274–1286. https://doi.org/10.1111/anu.12665

Campos, I, Matos, E, Maia, MRG, Marques, A, Valente, LMP. 2019. Partial and total replacement of fish oil by poultry fat in diets for European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) juveniles: Effects on nutrient utilization, growth performance, tissue composition and lipid metabolism. Aquaculture 502: 107-120. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2018.12.004

Campos, I, Matos, E, Marques, A, Valente, LMP. 2017. Hydrolyzed feather meal as a partial fishmeal replacement in diets for European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) juveniles. Aquaculture 476: 152-159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2017.04.024

Campos, I, Matos, E, Valente, LMP. 2019. Ability of European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) to digest rendered animal fats from fish, poultry and mammals. Aquaculture Nutrition 25(3): 729-736. https://doi.org/10.1111/anu.12902

Campos, I, Valente, LMP, Matos, E, Marques, P, Freire, F. 2020. Life-cycle assessment of animal feed ingredients: Poultry fat, poultry by-product meal and hydrolyzed feather meal. Journal of Cleaner Production 252: 119845. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.119845

Monteiro, M, Matos, E, Ramos, R, Campos, I, Valente, LMP. 2018. A blend of land animal fats can replace up to 75% fish oil without affecting growth and nutrient utilization of European seabass. Aquaculture 487: 22-31. https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2017.12.043