MICOALGA-FEED is a supra-autonomous Operational Group whose purpose is to reduce or eliminate the use of antibiotics in livestock through a natural diet based on fungi and microalgae.

MICOALGA-FEED aim is to reduce the amount of antibiotics in livestock through feed. The project will develop new feed supplemented with ingredients obtained from the cultivation of fungi and microalgae with antibiotic, immunomodulatory and antiinflammatory capacity. To achieve this, MICOALGA-FEED has set the following specific objectives:

i. Design and develop functional raw materials based on fungi and microalgae for the livestock sector. Ingredients (and combinations of them) based on fungi and microalgae with the greatest potential will be selected and manufactured.
ii. Evaluate in vitro the antimicrobial, immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory capacity, and analytically characterize the ingredients and formulated feed.
Through a battery of in vitro tests, which include the simulation of the avian digestive system, the antimicrobial, immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory capacity of ingredients based on fungi and microalgae, as well as the feed supplemented with said ingredients, will be evaluated. Based on these tests, the amount of each ingredient to be added so that it maintains its effectiveness after the necessary treatments for its incorporation into the feed will be calculated. Finally, the ingredients and feeds selected for their greater efficacy will be analytically characterized.
iii. To evaluate in vivo the efficacy of the feed in an experimental poultry farm. Productive, epidemiological and clinical controls, as well as the immune system status of the birds will be assessed. Based on the results obtained, the feed will be selected and classified by degree of effectiveness.

Operational Groups are the main actors in the implementation of the EIP-Agri (European Innovation Partnership for Agricultural productivity and sustainability), and one of the key tools for the execution of the National Rural Development Programme 2014-2020 for promoting innovation in the agri-food and forestry sectors within the European scope. They gather agents of different profiles with common interests, such as farmers, ranchers, companies, researchers or training and dissemination actors, who are associated to implement an innovation project in order to provide a joint and multi-sectorial response to a problem or need.

For more information about operational groups:
– Agriculture and Rural Development of the European Commission: https://ec.europa.eu/info/food-farming-fisheries_en
– National Program for Rural Development 2014- 2020: http://www.redruralnacional.es/desarrollo-rural/programas-de-desarrollo-rural

The Operational Group MICOALGA-FEED is responsible of this content.