Project: Secondary bio-production of low trophic organisms utilizing side streams from the Blue and Green sectors to produce novel feed ingredients for European aquaculture

Acronym SIDESTREAM (Reference Number: 68)
Duration 01/06/2020 - 31/05/2023
Project Topic To what extent is it possible to process and use nutrients from aquaculture and agriculture waste? Which novel organisms and approaches are best suited? Can these organisms serve as ingredients for feed stuff? How suitable and safe are feed ingredients produced on waste? What is the market potential and economic feasibility of feed ingredients produced following sustainable circular principles? SIDESTREAM addresses these questions to push forward the frontier for 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”). Use of ω3 LC-PUFA in aquafeeds ensures both 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 critically 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 SIDESTREAM. 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 cutting-edge approach will enable value creation from resources hitherto considered as waste, allowing for innovation and sustainable use in aquaculture.
Project Results
(after finalisation)
By the end of the project we aim at the following innovations: -Ready-to-use protocol for mass production of polychaetes on side streams -Ready-to-use protocol for mass production of gammarids on side streams -Ready-to-use protocol for mass production of pigments by bacteria on side streams -Targeted culture procedures for optimization of nutritional quality of polychaetes -Targeted culture procedures for optimization of nutritional quality of gammarids -High astaxanthin accumulating bacteria fed with aquaculture side stream-based media -Stabilization protocols for produced biomass; -Processing protocols for the biomasses -Stabilization technologies for produced fractions and ingredients -New and improved fish and shrimp diets -Means to recycle fish farming, agriculture and biogas sectors’ side streams
Network BlueBio
Call 1st BlueBio Joint Call

Project partner

Number Name Role Country
1 Sintef Ocean Coordinator Norway
2 Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas Partner Spain
3 Alfred Wegener Institute Partner Germany
4 Bielefeld University Partner Germany
5 Nofima AS Partner Norway
6 Project s.a.s. Partner Italy
7 CIIMAR - University of Porto Partner Portugal
8 Biokraft AS (External Contributor) Partner Norway
9 Skretting (External Contributor) Partner Norway