Category: Conference poster

Features of LAPA:
Low to medium physical and mental arousal. Rewarding and pleasant situations.
Related to social affiliation, post-goal attainment, energy conservation and/or regeneration. Can appear behaviourally subtle or inactive, requiring careful distinction from low arousal negative affective states.
Example settings to study LAPA:
While receiving grooming (from a human, a brush, or another animal), while wallowing or sun-basking, or during inactivity following goal attainment

Understanding the long-term biological consequences of crude oil exposure on marine fish is essential for the sustainability of ecologically and economically important species such as Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua). While the direct effects of crude oil on early life stages are well documented, adult reproductive vulnerability and intergenerational consequences remain poorly understood, despite their pivotal role in spawning stock viability. Paternal contributions to next-generation outcomes are particularly underexplored. This study examined how parental exposure to a water-soluble fraction of crude oil affects transcriptomic profiles and survival outcomes in Atlantic cod offspring. Adult fish were exposed for 20 days prior to spawning, and offspring were produced by in vitro cross-fertilization to generate four groups: control (unexposed parents), maternally exposed, paternally exposed and biparentally exposed. Embryos were reared under control conditions, and transcriptome profiles were analyzed from fertilization to hatching, alongside assessments of cardiac function and morphology post-hatch. Offspring from exposed females failed to survive to hatching. Eggs were smaller, and transcriptomic data revealed severe downregulation of genes involved in early developmental processes. Chemical analyses confirmed maternal transfer of a diverse range of petroleum aromatic hydrocarbons to oocytes. Our findings point to disrupted oocyte provisioning, likely linked to endocrine and epigenetic disturbances during oocyte maturation. Paternal exposure had minimal effect on RNA expression, and morphology at hatching. However, reduced survival in early larval stages suggests sublethal effects emerging later, possibly through epigenetic mechanisms, a hypothesis requiring further investigation.

Microalgae are rich in a broad range of bioactive molecules and have applications in various sectors, representing an emerging feedstock for the bio-based industry. Nevertheless, high costs of cultivation and
processing, along with the scarcity of established downstream applications, are major barriers to the
expansion of the algae sector in Europe. In this context, the project MULTIPLY was initiated in June 2025, a 4-year project coordinated by A4F – Algae for Future with the participation of 17 partners across Europe
and supported by the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking and its members. MULTIPLY aims to demonstrate economically feasible and environmentally sustainable microalgae
cultivation and biorefinery processes, for the provision of valuable algal ingredients, suited for the
formulation of mid-price products for the food, feed, biomaterials, cosmetics and lubricants industries.
This will be achieved by pursuing the following objectives:  Develop 10 microalgae-based products for a wide range of applications, including food, feed, cosmetics, biomaterials, lubricants and coatings, meeting market requirements.  Reduce the use of resources and costs in microalgae cultivation at scale, while increasing
productivity, robustness, and control of production, enabling the availability of microalgae biomass
for mid-price range products.  Optimize and upscale sustainable and cost-efficient processes for microalgae biorefinery.  Demonstrate the environmental and economic sustainability of the circular algae-based products, promote social acceptance and market uptake.  Ensure wider reach of MULTIPLY by dissemination, co-creation, exploitation, and communication
activities. To integrate these objectives microalgal biomass of 5 species will be produced by 3 partners in Portugal, Sweden and Denmark; which will be processed into 9 different fractions using multiple technologies;
which will be incorporated for valorization into 10 different formulations by 6 end-users, in Belgium, Italy,
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Spain, France, Norway and Portugal. This work will be complemented with digital tools and circular
approaches to achieve these ambitious goals.
In this communication we aim to present an overview of the project, as well as some early-stage results
from the first 6 months of the project.

Industrialised chicken production is far from organic agriculture prinicples. Still of interest is a more sustainable utilisation of by-products, e.g. hydrolysation of feathers for proteins, or extraction of food grade oil from chicken bones. Such approaches were studied in the bioeconomy-project “CYCLE” (2013-2017).

Phaeodactylum triconrutum (P. tricornutum) biomass has been called a microalgal cell factory, having the potential to contribute multiple nutrients and functional compounds to the blue-green economy in the future. To succeed, efficient production methods must be established, including cell wall disruption, biorefinery and stabilisation technologies. In our recent studies, cell wall disruption up to 93% was achieved in P. tricornutum biomass processed by bead milling using larger (0.75-2.0 mm) glass beads. Lower disruption degree levels were achieved using smaller glass (0.25-0.4mm) or Zr (0.3mm) beads, (75% vs 88%, respectively). Increased disruption degree gave a maximum of 25% increase in the analysed EPA levels, a moderate and not statistically significant increase in the analysed total lipid extract using glass, and decreased lipid extract levels using Zr beads. Soluble protein release increased using the more efficient larger beads and was not significantly affected by processing with smaller beads. Total and specific phenolic compound release and total antioxidant capacity of the P. tricornutum biomass increased by more efficient cell wall disruption, accompanied however by increased losses of natural antioxidant compounds such as vitamin C in a storage trial. Accompanying microorganisms were eliminated up to nearly 100% by bead milling, however following different disruption patterns as compared to microalgal cells. Bead milling and cell wall disruption significantly affected the rheological properties, namely the viscosity of processed P. tricornutum biomass, which was highest in the biomass of the highest disruption degree compared to non-disrupted biomass of higher dry matter level.