

MycoFish Project
In the last years, the profitability and sustainability of the aquaculture sector has been addressed, with strong efforts being made to replace ingredients from animal sources (fish meals and oils) traditionally used in aquafeeds, by vegetable sources (e.g., cereals). However, this strategy may raise negative implications, as cereals (e.g., corn, wheat) commonly used in aquafeeds often contain high levels of toxic metabolites produced by fungi, i.e., mycotoxins. Consequently, a higher incidence of mycotoxicosis in fish is expected to occur, which can ultimately cause adverse health effects in animals and humans. Little is known about the effects of ingestion of contaminated feeds with mycotoxins by fish, as well as the effects on their gastrointestinal tract (GIT) and absorption efficiency in the gut, thus remaining a serious food safety concern.

Goals
MycoFish project is a 3-year research project that intend to:
Analyze the incidence of regulated and emerging mycotoxins in feed ingredients and aquafeeds
Evaluate bioaccumulation and toxicity of the most relevant mycotoxins to farmed fish
Develop and optimize models allowing the simulation of nutrients/contaminants bioaccessibility and bioavailability in fish gastrointestinal tract, with subsequent validation
Assess the potential human health risks from mycotoxins exposure and propose mitigation strategies to reduce mycotoxins toxicity through the use of natural detoxifying antioxidants
Overall, MycoFish outcomes are expected to enable the optimization of protection of consumers and fish farmers, with the delivery of safe and high quality products for consumers