Production of Tetraselmis biomass for aquaculture feeds

Marine microalgae show large potential as alternatives to fish-based feeds for aquaculture, due to their high content of good-quality protein, vitamins, minerals and long-chain PUFAs. However, the high production cost of microalgae biomass still prevents its commercial exploitation as raw material for aquafeeds. Further R&D efforts are needed to achieve the ambitious goal of producing algal biomass at costs competitive with those of fish meal (US$ 1.3-2.0 kg-1). Aim of this work was to develop an economically sound cultivation process for outdoor mass production of the marine microalga Tetraselmis thanks to low-cost cultivation systems and inexpensive nutrients.