In Massachusetts, KnipBio, Inc. received a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research grant from the National Science Foundation to study how changes in diet can alleviate diseases in aquaculture. The company will investigate more than a dozen specific components in its KnipBio Meal aquafeed to determine which can act as positive nutritional factors in both growth and gut biome composition of a model rainbow trout species.
Preliminary feed trials have consistently found that fish and shrimp fed KnipBio Meal experience improved gut health, lower rates of enteritis, and reduced mortality levels compared to populations raised on standard industry diets. The goal of the SBIR grant is to study the mechanism by which KBM acts as a prebiotic to affect gut health and identify the specific components in KnipBio Meal responsible for this effect.
The study will be conducted over the course of one year and may lead to additional funding.