To what extent is it possible to recycle nutrients from aquaculture, agriculture and biogas production waste through secondary bio-production? Which organisms and approaches are best suited? Can these organisms serve as ingredients for feed materials? How safe are feed ingredients produced from waste? What is the market potential and economic feasibility of feed ingredients produced following sustainable circular principles?
SIDESTREAM addresses these questions in order to push forward the frontier for the production of high-value compounds by utilization of low-trophic marine invertebrates and bacteria, which will be reared on waste streams following circular principles. Several industries are in demand for high value compounds such as marine-originated lipids, proteins and pigments such as astaxanthin. Omega-3 long-chain (≥C20) polyunsaturated fatty acids (ω3 LC-PUFA) are marine lipids that are abundant in fish oils and fish meals (“marine ingredients”). ω3 LC-PUFA in aquafeeds ensures both the growth and health of farmed species and their nutritional value for consumers. Aquaculture is by far the largest consumer of marine ingredients, thus requiring novel, high-nutritional quality ingredients to ensure sustainable expansion. Additionally, there is a trend towards natural bioactive compounds such as astaxanthin as a natural bioactive stimulant (nutraceutical), which adds value to the resulting feed.
SIDESTREAM partners have shown that polychaetes and crustaceans can produce ω3 LC-PUFA de novo. Such striking capacity will be exploited in the project. We will take side streams from aquaculture, agriculture and biogas sectors, and produce polychaetes and gammarids on the solid phase and bacterial astaxanthin on the liquid phase. Biomasses will be processed and tested as feed ingredients for fish and shrimp during all life stages. SIDESTREAM's cutting-edge approach will enable value creation from resources hitherto considered as waste, allowing for innovation and sustainable use in aquaculture.
SIDESTREAM is funded by the BlueBio Cofund.
