ORIVO, BioMar to develop new DNA analysis for aquafeeds

ORIVO AS has been granted funding from the Norwegian Research Council to come up with next generation DNA-based analysis for feed products and feed ingredients, with Danish aquaculture feed producer BioMar partnering the project.

With a total budget of NOK 8.6 million (USD 990,038, EUR 811,363), the project will seek to develop a method to enable precise determination of the species composition in feed-related samples. 

According to ORIVO CEO Svein Erik Haugmo, 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,” Haugmo said. “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.”

BioMar’s Global Sourcing Director Morten Holdorff Møjbæk believes the ability to document responsible sourcing through laboratory testing will be key in 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 percent 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. 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," Møjbæk said.

The project will launch in February 2021 and will last for three years, but ORIVO aims to introduce the service to the market sooner.

Photo courtesy of ORIVO