C-phycocyanin Additive for Fish Feed Growth and Immunity

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current fish feed formulations, particularly for rainbow trout and African catfish, face challenges in optimizing growth rates and nutritional efficiency due to the replacement of fish oil with vegetable oils, which can lead to slower growth, increased stress sensitivity, and weakened immunity.

Innovation Solution

Incorporating c-phycocyanin, a biologically active substance isolated from cyanobacteria, into fish feed as an additive to enhance the nutritional properties and growth intensity of rainbow trout and African catfish.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Quantity of substance

If fish oil is replaced with vegetable oils in fish feed, then feed costs are reduced and sustainability is improved, but growth rate slows down and fish immunity is weakened

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefish oil contentVSAvoidgrowth rate

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

C-phycocyanin acts as a mediator substance that bridges the gap between vegetable oils and fish oil functionality. It is added to fish feed containing vegetable oils to compensate for the loss of growth-promoting and immunity-enhancing properties, thereby enabling the use of sustainable vegetable oils without sacrificing productivity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The invention changes the chemical composition parameters of the feed by introducing c-phycocyanin (a phycocyanin pigment from cyanobacteria) to alter the biological activity of the feed formulation, transforming it from a simple vegetable oil-based diet to a functionally enhanced diet that supports optimal growth and immunity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Quantity of substance

If fish oil is replaced with vegetable oils in fish feed, then environmental sustainability is improved, but fish stress sensitivity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefish oil contentVSAvoidstress sensitivity

Core Design Contradiction:

Quantity of substanceVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

C-phycocyanin serves as a protective intermediary that mitigates the harmful stress effects caused by vegetable oil replacement. It reinforces fish welfare and stress resistance, counterbalancing the negative impacts of using sustainable but less optimal vegetable oil sources

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Productivity

If protein content in feed is increased to maximize growth, then growth rate improves, but feed costs increase due to limited protein synthesis ability

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvegrowth rateVSAvoidprotein content

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The invention changes the nutritional parameter profile by adding c-phycocyanin, which provides bioactive compounds that enhance protein utilization efficiency and support growth without requiring proportional increases in crude protein content, thereby optimizing the protein-to-growth ratio

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP4566457A1Improvement of nutritional value of fish feed

Publication Date: 2025.06.11 LIETUVOS SVEIKATOS MOKSLU UNIVS

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Figure 3A~3D

AI summary

This invention relates to optimization of standard fish feed by incorporating a c-phycocyanin additive into a standard fish feed in an oil suspension. Isolated c-phycocyanin, which is isolated from the biomass of the genus Microcystis (microalgae) and Aphanizomenonflos-aquae (Klamath algae), improves the physiological parameters, growth intensity and physical/chemical meat properties of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and African catfish (Clarias gariepinus).