July 28, 2023

 

RASLab partners with KYTOS to advance fish farming with microbiome management services

 

Research organisation RASLab, in collaboration with microbiome start-up KYTOS, is set to revolutionise fish farming by offering microbiome management services in recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS), Innovation News Network reported.

 

These systems, used for fish production, involve rearing fish at high densities in indoor tanks and employ a controlled environment. The innovative partnership aims to enhance the microbial health of RAS, optimising water quality for land-based fish farms.

 

Critical to maintaining optimal water quality, microbial communities in RAS efficiently remove both organic and inorganic elements from the system. But the diversity and complexity of microbial life, coupled with limited measurement and software technologies, have posed challenges in managing these systems effectively.

 

Based in Bergen, Norway, RASLab is renowned for its state-of-the-art research facilities focused on sustainable land-based fish farming.

 

KYTOS offers a unique quantitative overview of the microbiome in the water and biofilter through its RASCheck, RASScreen, and RASManage service programmes. Combined with RASLab's RASseq services that utilise next-generation sequencing to identify all bacteria in the biofilter, these analyses enable a deeper understanding of how microbiome management decisions impact system performance and resilience.

 

The collaboration's comprehensive insights will facilitate the development of bespoke services to optimize both the RAS system and fish performance. Customers of RASLab will have access to these combined services starting this August.

 

Ruben Props, co-founder and chief executive officer of KYTOS, expressed the partnership's significance in fulfilling their core mission of providing smarter and more accessible microbiome management tools to the industry. Mark Powell, chief executive officer of RASLab, highlighted the value of this collaboration in driving innovation in the future of aquaculture.

 

Monitoring the microbiome health from the beginning of the crop is essential, allowing for timely interventions to prevent microbial dysbiosis. Both RASLab and KYTOS excel in state-of-the-art microbiome technologies and recirculating aquaculture systems.

 

KYTOS utilizes big data and artificial intelligence (AI) to reduce the unpredictability of aquaculture by creating practical tools that aid informed management decisions. Their high-throughput technology, flow cytometry, analyses thousands of cells per second, providing comprehensive reports of microbiome characteristics.

 

RASLab's RASseq service, targeting the genetic information of the microbiome, offers detailed insights into the bacterial community. Combining KYTOS' functional approach with RASLab's genetic analysis will enable the testing of new microbial health indicators for recirculating aquaculture systems.

 

Through KYTOS technology, customers can access digital reports and AI-processed microbiome data, enabling rapid results of up to ten microbiome health indicators. Ongoing contract research at RASLab can also benefit from KYTOS' support.

 

-      Innovation News Network