Aquatic Feed Purple Bacteria Growth Reproduction

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current aquaculture feed compositions using microbial biomass, including purple non-sulfur bacteria, are economically unviable due to high production costs, limiting their widespread adoption for improving reproductivity, growth, and health benefits in aquatic animals.

Innovation Solution

Incorporating Rhodopseudomonas and Rhodobacter species of purple non-sulfur bacteria in feed compositions at concentrations of 5 g or less per 100 g, replacing other bacterial components and microalgal biomass, to enhance reproductivity, growth, and disease resistance in aquatic animals.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If microbial biomass including purple non-sulfur bacteria is used in feed compositions, then reproductivity, growth and health benefits are improved, but production costs increase making it economically unviable

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovereproductivityVSAvoidproduction costs
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces expensive microbial biomass with a combination of conventional feed ingredients (fish meal, soybean meal, wheat, corn, fish oil) that are cheaper and more economically viable, while maintaining the beneficial effects through specific nutrient composition and controlled bacterial inclusion at low levels

Inventive Principle:
Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

Solution Approach 2:

The feed composition uses a composite approach by combining multiple conventional ingredients (fish meal, soybean meal, wheat, corn, fish oil, vitamins, minerals) with a small amount of purple non-sulfur bacteria, creating a balanced formulation that achieves nutritional goals without relying on expensive single-ingredient microbial biomass

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

2Productivity

If purple non-sulfur bacteria are used at high concentrations (5-10 g per 100 g feed), then growth performance is improved, but production costs become prohibitively expensive

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvegrowth performanceVSAvoidproduction costs
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the concentration parameter of purple non-sulfur bacteria from high levels (5-10 g per 100 g feed) to low levels (0.1-1.0 g per 100 g feed), while compensating for the reduced bacterial content by optimizing other nutritional parameters including protein content (35-50%), lipid content (5-15%), and adding specific vitamins and minerals to maintain growth performance

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies partial action by using a sub-optimal amount of purple non-sulfur bacteria (0.1-1.0 g per 100 g feed instead of 5-10 g), but compensates through enhanced nutrition with complete amino acid profiles, essential fatty acids, and micronutrients to achieve sufficient growth performance at lower costs

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

3Reliability

If combinations of multiple microorganisms are used in feed, then health benefits and disease resistance are improved, but manufacturing complexity and costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedisease resistanceVSAvoidmanufacturing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and isolates the beneficial effects of multiple microorganisms by using a single, well-characterized purple non-sulfur bacteria strain (Rhodopseudomonas palustris or Rhodobacter capsulatus) rather than complex multi-microorganism combinations, simplifying manufacturing while maintaining disease resistance benefits through the bacteria's proven probiotic properties

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses purple non-sulfur bacteria as a multi-functional ingredient that simultaneously provides protein supplementation, disease resistance, growth promotion, and pigmentation benefits, replacing the need for multiple separate microbial additives and simplifying the feed formulation while achieving comprehensive health benefits

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS20240381897A1Aquatic animal feed compositions and uses thereof
Publication Date: 2024.11.21 UNIVERSITEIT ANTWERPEN

AI summary

The invention provides methods of increasing the reproductivity, growth rate and/or pigmentation of an aquatic animal, such as fish by feeding said aquatic animal with a feed composition comprising purple bacteria. The invention further provides feed compositions for use in such methods.