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Four people pose and smile for the camera near a small table in front of a roll-up.
FFEEDACTIV project at European Researchers’ Night 2023 Cluj-Napoca, Romania © Vodnar Dan Cristian, 2023

ProjectFEEDACTIV

Reducing antibiotic use in fish farming with natural supplements

Development of Functional Fish Feed Based on Bioactive Compounds of Marine and Herbal Origin (FEEDACTIV)

“Natural bioactive compounds from algae and herbs coupled with microencapsulation technologies can become practical feed tools supporting fish health and helping aquaculture move away from routine antibiotics.” - Prof. Dan Vodnar

Project impact

Most of the fish we buy in supermarkets come from farms. Fish farmers often use antibiotics to keep their fish healthy, yet this can impact ecosystems and lead to a rise in drug-resistant bacteria, threatening our health. To help keep fish residue-free, the FEEDACTIV project has turned to marine algae, seaweed and Mediterranean herbs. The project brings together researchers and aquaculture industry partners to help ensure a seamless transition of laboratory findings through to commercial solutions. They work together to isolate health-boosting antioxidant and antimicrobial compounds and turn them into supplements to help fish stay healthier. The research focuses on the development pipeline, from extracting the compounds and determining the most effective combinations to boost fish health, to encapsulating them into supplements for easy delivery to fish farms. The project supports the EU’s Farm-to-Fork Strategy by helping to reduce antibiotic use in food production and boosting aquaculture productivity using sustainable, locally sourced ingredients. By finding better ways to keep fish healthy, the project helps slow the rise of antibiotic resistance, thereby improving European health and food security.

  • Coordinator

    Romania

    Universitatea de Științe Agricole și Medicină Veterinară Cluj-Napoca

  • Participating and partners countries

    • Greece
      • Ethnicon Metsovion Polytechnion
      • Dignity Idiotiki Kefalaiouchiki Etaireia
      • Panepistimio Aigaiou
      • Zoonomi AVEE Viomichania Ichthyotrofon-Zootrofon
    • Italy
      • Università degli Studi di Messina
      • Panittica Italia Società Agricola SRL
    • Romania
      • Piscicola SA

    • Project duration

      1 January 2023 - 31 December 2026

    • Funding scheme

      MSCA Staff Exchange

    • Net EU contribution

      € 1 444 400,00

    • Strategic topic

      Water and Food Resilience