December 21, 2020

 

ORIVO and BioMar to develop next-gen DNA-based feed analysis

 

 

ORIVO has been granted funding from the Norwegian Research Council to develop the next generation of DNA-based analysis for feed products and feed ingredients.

 

BioMar is a partner in the project and sees the value of evidence-based transparency in the aquaculture industry.

 

The goal of the project, which has a total budget of €810,000 (US$987,584), is to develop a quantifiable DNA-analysis method to enable precise determination of the species composition in feed-related samples.

 

"The DNA-based analysis methods currently available in the market are either unreliable in terms of quantifiability or unable to detect unknown species present in a sample. With this

Project, we aim to expand our existing analysis platform with a method that solves both these issues. Our goal is to offer players in all parts of the feed value chain a tool to precisely determine the species composition of their samples," said ORIVO CEO Svein Erik Haugmo, who thinks it is time to raise the bar and start moving to more evidence-based transparency documentation.

 

Hagumo added: "There is no doubt that there is an increasing demand from modern consumers for more hard evidence such as laboratory test results. The tool we are developing can be used by companies either to make sure that the products they are buying has the right specifications, or to document sustainable sourcing to clients in a value chain where transparency is becoming more and more important."

 

To help develop the analysis method, ORIVO has brought together a group of academic and commercial organisations with different areas of expertise.

 

"Complex challenges such as the ones we will be faced with in this project require a multi-discipline approach. We are both delighted and proud to be joined by such an excellent team of highly skilled researchers from organisations such as the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, SINTEF and Haploid AS," said Erik Fuglseth, chief technology officer of ORIVO and the project's manager.

 

BioMar has been collaborating with ORIVO for many years. BioMar's global sourcing director, Morten Holdorff Møjbæk, believes the ability to document responsible sourcing through laboratory testing will be key in the near future.

 

"At BioMar, we strive for full transparency and traceability throughout our supply chain. Sourcing raw materials like marine ingredients where there is overfishing of 33% of fish stocks comes with a huge responsibility, and that is why knowing the identity of the fish species is critical to us. Having this verified through ORIVO´s testing platform adds a very important, extra level of insurance for us," Møjbæk said.

 

"We are therefore glad to support the further development of this platform to expand its application areas and make it even more useful to us and our clients."

 

The project will launch in February 2021 and will be conducted for three years.

 

ORIVO aims to introduce the service to the market soon. The first version of the service is expected to be validated within 12 months after the project's launch and will be offered to key clients.

 

Further improvements will be implemented continuously and will address an increasingly broader market, including the pet food industry.

 

- BioMar