Development of microencapsulated diets for shellfish, echinoderms and fish
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Cambridge
Department Name: Zoology
Abstract
Theme: Agriculture and Food Security
The project will use microencapsulation technology to develop replacement diets for shellfish, echinoderms and fish that are cheaper, more sustainable, and more nutritional than the currently used food source; algae. Diets can be tailored to specific species, stages of development, and to provide nutrients limiting in a particular location. Manufacturing partners have been lined up to facilitate production. Testing of the diets will be done both in the laboratory and in hatcheries, and will involve working with commercial partners in Northern Ireland or Norway.
To characterise microencapsulated feeds and analyse digestion, biological imaging and analyses techniques including Scanning Electron Microscopy, MicroCT Scanning, Laser Particle Sizing, and Dissolution Profiling will be used. Experimental data will require statistical analyses.
The project will use microencapsulation technology to develop replacement diets for shellfish, echinoderms and fish that are cheaper, more sustainable, and more nutritional than the currently used food source; algae. Diets can be tailored to specific species, stages of development, and to provide nutrients limiting in a particular location. Manufacturing partners have been lined up to facilitate production. Testing of the diets will be done both in the laboratory and in hatcheries, and will involve working with commercial partners in Northern Ireland or Norway.
To characterise microencapsulated feeds and analyse digestion, biological imaging and analyses techniques including Scanning Electron Microscopy, MicroCT Scanning, Laser Particle Sizing, and Dissolution Profiling will be used. Experimental data will require statistical analyses.
Studentship Projects
| Project Reference | Relationship | Related To | Start | End | Student Name |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BB/M011194/1 | 01/10/2015 | 31/03/2024 | |||
| 1804970 | Studentship | BB/M011194/1 | 01/10/2016 | 30/09/2020 | David Willer |
| Description | During the PhD I: developed novel microencapsulated diets, used cutting-edge analysis to demonstrate digestibility, proved that microencapsulated diets can significantly increase growth in juvenile bivalves, can improve the quality of breeding bivalve stock and accelerate sexual development, and can improve nutritional quality and palatability of bivalves for greater consumer uptake. I also demonstrated the potential of bivalves as a global food security solution worldwide, and explored the potential use of novel species including shipworms. |
| Exploitation Route | Microencapsulated diets technologies I have developed and tested can now be used to improve production output and sustainability in commercial bivalve shellfish aquaculture. The PhD provides a foundation to help establish more bivalve aquaculture worldwide with benefits to human health and food security |
| Sectors | Agriculture, Food and Drink,Environment,Healthcare,Manufacturing, including Industrial Biotechology |
| URL | https://www.zoo.cam.ac.uk/directory/david-willer |
| Description | My work on sustainable aquaculture has enabled me to develop multiple collaborations in Cambridge, which are now allowing me to work with Cambridge restuarants to improve their meat and fish policies, as co-founder of sustainable food start-up FoodSteps. Research outputs have also led to me becoming treasurer for the Cambridge Global Food Secuity Forum, and we have been organising Venture Creation events for young professionals at the Judge Business School to promote interest and innovation in food security. Research outputs were a key factor in my being awarded seed funding from the Global Challenges Initiative, for a project aiming to tackle zinc deficiencies in Ethiopia. Public interest resulting from conference presentations has led to my collaborating with the University of Botswana and academic and governmental bodies in India, with the view to using bivalve aquaculture to tackle nutrient deficiencies Research outputs have led to postdoctoral work collaborations with Europe's biggest frozen seafood producer to develop bivalve-based foods for the mass market. Hatcheries across Europe are now using the microencapsulation technology I developed during the PhD as part of the EIT MIDSA project |
| First Year Of Impact | 2020 |
| Sector | Agriculture, Food and Drink,Communities and Social Services/Policy,Education,Environment,Healthcare,Leisure Activities, including Sports, Recreation and Tourism,Manufacturing, including Industrial Biotechology,Retail,Other |
| Impact Types | Cultural,Societal,Economic,Policy & public services |
| Description | IUCN Project - Mismatches between global conservation effort and Red List priorities |
| Organisation | IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature |
| Country | Switzerland |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | The project assessed how global effort in research, social media, and work time was distributed across IUCN Red List Threat and Habitat categories. I did this by writing computer code and surveying leading international conservation NGOs. Effort scores were then matched with the number of high extinction risk species in each Threat and Habitat category. This allowed key threats and habitats in need of more effort investment to be identified. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The IUCN generated and provided the Red List data. Quality control provided by Craig Hilton-Taylor (Head of Red List Unit) and Kevin Smith (Invasive Species Programme Officer). |
| Impact | High impact publication in review |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Nomad Foods |
| Organisation | Nomad Foods Limited |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Between June and October 2020 I am undertaking a pilot project with the R&D team at Nomad Foods; Europe's largest frozen food company and owners of brands including Birds Eye, igloo, and Findus. The project aims to undertake an appraisal of market challenges and opportunities for the development of bivalve-based food products for mass consumption. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Nomad Foods have agreed to support Fellowship research which builds on this pilot project. |
| Impact | Project ongoing |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | Cambridge University Magazine Article |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Article in the University of Cambridge Horizons magazine, based on an interview on my research, stimulated great interest in novel microencapsulated feeding technology being developed at Cambrudge |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Euromal International Mollusc Conference Presentation (1st Prize) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Presentation at Euromal International Mollusc conference 2017; the first demonstration that novel microencapsulation technology can deliver food products to bivalves. New research efforts were stimulated, and the associated publication in Royal Society Open Science is in the top 5% of research articles scored by Altmetric. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Planetary Health, Global Food Security, and Cambridge Conservation Initiative Conference Presentations |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Presentations at Cambridge Global Food Security, Planetary Health, and Conservation Initiative Conferences, and publication in Global Food Security in 2019 demonstrated massive potential of bivalve shellfish aquaculture to sustainably tackle global malnutrition and obesity. A resulting surge of interest in sustainable aquaculture at Cambridge University led to TV interviews with the Associated Press, articles with high public impact and initiated research collaborations in Africa and India. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Poster presentations at multiple conferences, including the Student Conference on Conservation Science and Cambridge Zoology Conference |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Posters discussed how novel microencapsualted bivalve feeds developed during the PhD can improve the productivity of bivalve shellfish aquaculture fod global food security |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | Stage Presentation at New Scientist Live Annual Event |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | 1-hour stage presentation at New Scientist Live Annual Future of Food and Agriculture event, broadcast live and online internationally |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| Description | TV interview with the Associated Press, broadcast worldwide |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | TV interview on the role of new technology in aquaculture, in particular salmon farming. Broadcast online and on TV worldwide, particularly popular to viewers in the USA |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
| Description | The simple food that fights climate change - BBC News Article |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | The simple food that fights climate change - BBC News Article Based upon my research |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.bbc.com/future/bespoke/follow-the-food/the-simple-shellfish-that-fights-climate-change.h... |
| Description | University of Cambridge Podcast Presentation |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Interview on University of Cambridge 'Zoocast'. Stimulated greater interest in sustainable aquaculture research at Cambridge |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |