NEWS FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE January 2024 79 Dog and cat food manufacturer United Petfood announced a takeover of Dutch company De Haan Petfood. De Haan Petfood, located in Nieuwkoop, the Netherlands, specialises in the production of wet dog and cat food in the form of high-quality meat chunks in gravy. With over six decades of experience in the production of canned wet food for worldwide export, the company brings significant expertise to the United Petfood family. “The takeover of De Haan Petfood opens up new avenues in terms of wet food and enables us to keep up with growing demand,” United Petfood stated. “We are pleased to be joining the UP family, and we are convinced this will allow us to consolidate our business success. On a commercial level, we can pool our resources while existing UP clients get access to an experienced manufacturer of canned wet food. We will also be able to share our know-how and experience on an operational level," said the representatives of De Haan Petfood. Read more>> United Petfood acquires Dutch company De Haan Petfood Scientists shown that selective breeding can significantly increase the omega-3 content of microalgae. Marie Lillehammer is behind the research. “We wanted to know whether breeding can contribute to faster growth and increased omega-3 content. The initial trials we carried out yielded very promising results,” said Nofima Senior Scientist Lillehammer. To grow, algae require light, temperature, and nutrients. However, growth is also affected by algae genes. Therefore, scientists tested whether it is possible to breed microalgae as one does with farmed fish: when crossing individuals or genera that produce high yields, the next generation produces higher yields than the previous one, and so on. Many microalgae reproduce vegetatively. Therefore, the scientists chose the species Seminavis robusta, a well-studied alga that has sexual reproduction. Eight lines of the species were crossed with each other in one generation and tested in the breeding trial. Although the species is not very relevant as a feed resource, the trial showed that 18% of omega-3 production in the algae is determined by the genes (heritability). Breeding gives an 8.8% increase in omega-3 in one generation. Growth percentages were even higher. With a 50% heritability, the microalgae grow 25% faster per generation -in theory, a ninefold increase per year, given ten generations in one year. “It may be that inbreeding and physiological limitations would halt growth over generations, or growth would have side effects. However, the trial shows that breeding should be explored further if microalgae is to become an important feed ingredient for European aquaculture,” says Lillehammer. Read more>> Selective breeding increases omega-3 content of microalgae
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