As part of the Al-Fun-Feed project, ODS Protein has initiated the first stage of the work, focusing on the identification of the most suitable filamentous fungi strains for the development of a sustainable protein ingredient. In parallel, a screening of different marine by-products has been carried out to assess their potential use as substrates for fungal cultivation.
Currently, ODS Protein is conducting laboratory-scale trials with the selected marine by-products, optimizing the extraction of target compounds of interest. At the same time, growth experiments are being performed using different fungal strains and varying concentrations of the extracted compounds in order to determine the most efficient fermentation conditions.
In the coming months, the most promising combinations will be scaled up to validate the process under optimized fermentation conditions. The resulting high-protein fungal biomass will then be produced for incorporation into seabass feed, contributing to the development of more sustainable aquaculture practices.
