University of Cambridge scientists and seafood manufacturers recently teamed up to develop a new technology capable of “supercharging” shellfish and optimizing nutrient content.
According to a report from New Food Magazine, Cambridge scientists created a microencapsulation technology, dubbed Vitamin Bullets, that can fortify shellfish to tackle human nutrient deficiencies. Currently, the scientists are working with major seafood manufacturers to test out the effectiveness of the bullets, the magazine added.
Cambridge’s Department of Zoology worked with biotechnology company BioBullets to develop the supercharging microcapsules, which are geared for bivalve shellfish such as oysters, clams, and mussels.
The Vitamin Bullets are patented by David Aldridge’ BioBullets. Aldridge and David Willer, a PhD student working on the supercharging project, say they have produced the world’s first microcapsule tailored to deliver nutrients to bivalves, New Food Magazine reported. The capsules are designed to appeal to bivalves in size, shape, and buoyancy, the magazine added.
To test the technology, scientists used vitamin A and D fortified microcapsules on over 100 oysters, hoping to identify the ideal dose of nutrients. They discovered that fortified oysters delivered around 100 times more vitamin A and over 150 times more vitamin D than their natural counterparts. The fortified oysters were even found to dramatically outperform salmon, providing over 26 times more vitamin A and over four times more vitamin D than the fish, New Food Magazine noted.
“We have demonstrated a cheap and effective way to get micronutrients into a sustainable and delicious source of protein. Targeted use of this technology in regions worst affected by nutrient deficiencies, using carefully selected bivalve species and micronutrients, could help improve the health of millions, while also reducing the harm that meat production is doing to the environment,” Willer told New Food Magazine.
“We are very excited about BioBullets’ potential. We are now establishing links with some of the world’s biggest seafood manufacturers to drive a step change in the sustainability and nutritional value of the seafood that we consume,” Aldridge said.
Scientists said the ideal time to deploy the Vitamin Bullets was toward the end of the “depuration” stage, for an eight-hour timeframe.
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