MARBLES partner DTU visit Stolt Sea Farm to see probiotics in action
For over 20 years, Stolt Sea Farm (SSF) has been working closely with MARBLES partner the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) to study the use of probiotics in aquaculture. Probiotics are a sustainable way to improve fish health in the same way that they improve human, animal and plant health.
In October 2023, the DTU research team led by Lone Gram visited the SSF in Galicia, Spain. DTU provided a training session to the fish welfare, production, hatchery and R&D staff on the use of probiotics in aquaculture farms and how marine larval cultures can benefit.
Lone explained, “Probiotics are live microorganisms that have a beneficial effect on the health of the host. In our collaboration with Stolt Sea Farm, we have focused on fish larvae and how probiotic bacteria can inhibit bacteria that can cause disease. The use of probiotics provides a sustainable way of improving larval health and is also gaining a lot of interest in rearing of terrestrial animals and in crop protection.” SSF’s R&D Manager, Ana María Riaza added: “Our collaboration, which began in 2000, has been of mutual benefit; with Professor Gram and her team providing the latest research results and SSF supporting the practical application and advising on some areas of focus. As a result, we have made considerable progress in the effective application of probiotics in aquaculture and sustainable fish welfare.” SSF ensures the health of its livestock at every stage of its lifecycle and continues to produce high-quality, sustainable seafood by closely managing and monitoring fish welfare through programmes like this.
The Biotechnology and Biomedicine Department (DTU Bioengineering) is an international leader in biotechnology and biomedicine using an engineering approach to all aspects of biotechnology and biomedicine. The team has a strong focus on microbial ecophysiology, biotechnology and excels in several areas of microbial biocontrol, including plant biocontrol, probiotics for humans and fish as well as novel bioactive compounds. DTU are involved in several MARBLES work packages and are leading WP2 on testing behaviour of algal-bacterial systems.