Glasgow, Scotland-based Atlantic salmon digestion simulator start-up SalmoSim has finalized a contract with Royal DSM that will see the multinational bioscience and health company work to support development in sustainable aquaculture feed offerings.
Royal DSM will use SalmoSim's gut-simulation technology to explore the effects of various ingredients, enzymes, vitamins, and supplements to test salmon feed products range with the goal of promoting the health and well-being of fish raised via aquaculture.
“We are excited to be using the SalmoSim technology to enhance salmonid nutrition and welfare," Royal DSM Senior Aquaculture Scientist Sebastien Rider said. "By exploring the impact of different combinations of ingredients, we can gather essential feedback and data that will help to develop more sustainable and effective aquaculture feed products, which support fish health and the wider growth of the sector."
As the aquaculture industry moves away from antibiotic treatments, novel fish feeds such as prebiotics have increased in popularity and are being investigated more by seafood producers, Rider said.
SalmoSim will collaborate with the University of Glasgow to publish new research investigating artificial gut-model usage and the benefits to using prebiotics in salmon feed. As part of that research, SalmoSim will conduct salmon-feed trials at bespoke testing facilities that will be constructed at a cost of approximately EUR 150,000 (USD 157,000).
“Our gut-simulation system provides feed manufacturers like Royal DSM with a valuable opportunity for pre-screening the impact of various ingredients on fish digestive systems. The nutritional landscape is continually evolving, with both sustainability and fish health in mind. Yet conducting live feed trials can still be expensive and difficult to arrange,” SalmoSim Founder Martin Llewellyn said. “SalmoSim offers an alternative science-based route to market, providing robust evidence for the supply chain and producers to inform future decisions about trialling key ingredients. We’re pleased to be supporting a leading international company with its mission to accelerate sustainable aquaculture production and transform the approach to nutrition.”
The first SalmoSim simulator was developed in 2016 during a collaborative research project funded partially by the Sustainable Aquaculture Innovation Center.
Photo courtesy of SalmoSim
