Research, Development and Innovation

BAQUA

This project, entitled ‘Solutions through the new use for a waste of banana crop to develop products in aquaculture and plastics sector’, was launched with the main objective of establishing a new circular economy approach to take advantage of waste generated by banana cultivation and specifically the pseudo stem of the plant. Dibaq Group’s role within the initiative is to develop various feeds for gilt-head bream, including extracts sourced from the residual pulp from the processing of banana plant stems and flowers. This will allow us to continue improving the sustainability of our feeds while reducing the use of fish meals.

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BUVARE

In aquaculture production, biomedical management at facilities is essential for the sustainable development of the sector. Biomedicalmanagement aims to ensure, on the one hand, the health and welfare of the fish and, on the other, the quality and safety of the food produced by aquaculture. In this context, BUVARE has the general objective of improving the exchange of all information and knowledge related to current vaccination practices among value-chain agents in the aquaculture sector (fish farms, veterinary laboratories, feed manufacturing companies and technology centres).

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BIO-AQUALIFEED

This initiative, financed by CDTI, has the goal of developing a nutraceutical product with antiparasitic and intestinal immunostimulant properties for various aquaculture species, both marine and freshwater. We aim to improve the impact of feed on fish quality by including in our recipes active ingredients obtained from algae and vegetable extracts derived from the agri-food industry. In fact, the project was launched to meet the increasing need to boost the use of naturally sourced antioxidants while reducing the use of antibiotics, chemical ingredients and synthetic additives. At the same time, we are mindful of the need to maintain nutritional quality and enhance the associated animal health benefits.

MedAID

Marine aquaculture in the European Mediterranean shows stagnation that contrasts with the development observed in neighbouring countries. In this context, Mediterranean Aquaculture Integrated Development is a four-year project (2017-2021) funded by the European Union’s H2020 Programme. It seeks to identify the sector’s weaknesses in order to provide integrated solutions aimed at solving the main bottlenecks throughout the value chain, establishing a best-practices guide and developing the appropriate technological tools. Its main objectives are to boost the competitiveness and sustainability of Mediterranean marine aquaculture, to improve the sector’s technical productivity and economic performance, to achieve more responsible consumption and to ensure a better social reputation.

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BIOSEA

Within the framework of the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Programme and the BBI-RIA initiative, BIOSEA aims to develop and improve profitable, sustainable methods for the industrial-scale cultivation of select species of macroalgae (Ulva ohnoi and Saccharina latissima) and microalgae (Spirulina platensis and Nannochloropsis sp.). The objective? The low-cost production and extraction of high-value active components to be used in different industries, such as food, livestock, aquaculture, health and cosmetics. Dibaq Group is participating with the goal of developing various diets for aquaculture species in the Mediterranean environment by introducing different levels of algae extracts. Thus, our Team aims to continue a line of research it has been pursing in recent years: reducing the use of additives of chemical origin and replacing them with those of natural origin without lowering the quality of our feed and final product, and at the same time, even improving individuals’ autoimmune response to potential pathologies.

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INSECTUM

INSECTUM, funded by CDTI, intends to research an innovative system for the recovery of urban bio-waste and agri-food by-products, based on their bioconversion by insects into products with high added value for the human food, animal feed, fertiliser and chemical sectors. This initiative is very much in line with the circular economy, the use of by-products and the reduction of waste, which are Dibaq Group’s main goals. Our Team is participating in this project with the intention of developing new products for animal feed, adding new ingredients and replacing traditional meat and fish meals with high-quality insect meals. That way, we hope to improve animal diets by boosting their nutritional value and to research products that provide specific benefits, such as new natural antimicrobials of peptide origin, antiparasitic or antioxidant capacity, or functional improvements.

IFDEP

Functional foods help to improve the health and well-being of both humans and animals due to the presence of specific concentrations of physiologically active components. They help to modify gastrointestinal physiology and can also reduce or minimise the risk of developing specific pathologies. Due to their importance, IFDEP was launched. This project is funded by ICE as part of the ‘Knowledge Transfer’ programme in collaboration with the Zamarrala Aquaculture Research Centre. With it, Dibaq Group aims to include functional ingredients in our extruded diets and boost the quality of commercial products for fish, improving their nutrition and well-being. We are what we eat, and so are they.