AquaBioTech Group welcomed the Norwegian Research Centre (NORCE) at our premises in Malta earlier this week. NORCE is an independent research institute conducting multidisciplinary research in collaboration with businesses, public administration, and society to facilitate informed and sustainable choices for the future of technology, energy, environment, climate, health, and social science while maintaining high national and international ethical standards.  

As collaborators on the iFishIENCi project, the Norwegian researchers visited the ABT facilities to assist in the sampling activities of the ongoing catfish experiments, using candida meal produced within the project as a novel protein source for African catfish feed. As part of a weekly investigation, ABT, NORCE and LEITAT are collecting multiple samples to evaluate the potential use and effect of the candida meal. Samples of various organs were collected as part of this study and used to evaluate the stress response in African catfish (after a challenge test using confinement stress), these will be further analysed for any stress response by NORCE at their facilities.   

IFishIENCi is a Horizon 2020 project bringing together 16 partners in a transdisciplinary effort towards making genuine improvements to aquaculture management and practices. The overall goal of the project is to provide new intelligent monitoring and feeding technologies to support ambitious, but sustainable growth for the European Aquaculture Industry.