Is olive oil a suitable and sustainable option for aquaculture feed enrichment?

Study finds Artemia franciscana can adjust its fatty acids using olive oil, offering a sustainable option for aquaculture feed enrichment

A new study has found that Artemia franciscana can adjust its fatty acid profile in response to olive oil, suggesting plant-based oils may offer a cost-effective and sustainable alternative for aquaculture feed enrichment.

The study, published in Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part B, shows that vegetable oils could serve as viable alternatives to marine-based inputs, highlighting the adaptability of this widely used live feed species.

Statistical models revealed clear links between the types of fatty acids in artemia’s diet and those found in its body, suggesting the species can predictably adjust its profile. This supports the potential for tailoring Artemia’s nutritional composition through controlled feeding.

The study also found that key fatty acids, such as omega-3 eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and omega-6 arachidonic acid (ARA), increased as artemia developed, even without marine-based sources in the diet. This means artemia can produce these essential fats on its own, demonstrating notable flexibility in nutrient processing. The findings point to opportunities for customizing live feeds to better match the nutritional needs of different farmed species.

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For the experimental phase, researchers used extra virgin olive oils from three monovarietal cultivars (Koroneiki, Parseh and Arghavan) emulsified with lecithin and water to enrich Artemia nauplii over 36 hours. Five experimental groups were established: freshly hatched artemia, artemia starved for 35 hours and three groups enriched with each of the respective oils. Emulsions were added every 12 hours in amounts sufficient to fill the digestive tracts of the 200,000 nauplii used per trial.

Comparing the groups, researchers observed that some fatty acids increased even in unfed artemia, indicating the organism’s ability to produce certain lipids independently. Following enrichment with olive oil emulsions, further shifts in fatty acid profiles were recorded, confirming artemia’s ability to absorb, convert and store important lipids from plant-based sources.

This metabolic flexibility may help reduce aquaculture’s reliance on increasingly scarce and expensive marine oils, offering hatcheries a practical strategy to maintain nutritional standards while enhancing live feed sustainability.

Read the full study.