Biofloc technology as alternative strategy for feeding the world through aquaculture: A molecular evidences  

Food and nutrition security is an issue for reducing hunger in the world, especially with expected climate changes. Aquaculture is an important food production sector that has a great promise to fill the gap in food supply. To rely on aquaculture for filing the gap in food security, it is necessary to increase aquaculture production without dependence on natural fisheries in terms of fishmeal, fish oil and seed supply for pond culture. These are considered main handicap for aquaculture expansion, in addition to diseases outbreak. Finding sustainable alternative for fishmeal, fish oil and biosecurity will help to increase food production form aquaculture, in the same time conserving the wild fisheries. For almost 5-6 years, I have done several research attempts on main cultured fish and crustacean species to evaluate the possibility of using biofloc technology as alternative to fishmeal and fish oil. I have succeeded with tilapia and shrimp. My main focus today, is to find out which group of organisms grown in biofloc contributes mainly to the nutritional value of the biofloc as feed or protein source for aquaculture. The results show that different carbon sources promote the growth of different organisms groups and hence value of the biofloc depends on that particular group of organisms. This is a preliminary effort towards molecular evidence for documenting the suitable organisms that can be encouraged to grow in the biofloc with higher nutritional value. This study allows concluding that based on its nutritional value, the biofloc offers an alternative strategy for fish and shrimp feeds.

Keywords: Biofloc; DNA; microorganism; nutritional value