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Food supply, diet and membrane lipids and the determination of metabolic rate. There are two types of polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3 and omega-6), which are both essential in the diet. This project will examine whether our current diet has a good balance of these two classes of fatty acids. It will examine the hypothesis that we do not have enough omega-3 polyunsaturates in our modern diet and that this imbalance has important consequences for metabolism and health. It will give insight in ....Food supply, diet and membrane lipids and the determination of metabolic rate. There are two types of polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3 and omega-6), which are both essential in the diet. This project will examine whether our current diet has a good balance of these two classes of fatty acids. It will examine the hypothesis that we do not have enough omega-3 polyunsaturates in our modern diet and that this imbalance has important consequences for metabolism and health. It will give insight into a relatively unappreciated cause of the current obesity epidemic and likely result in new strategies to combat this problem. It will have implications for other important health issues (such as depression) as well as for the food supply of Australia. Read moreRead less
"Smart Food" - The fulcrum in the energy balance equation. The overall aim of the project is to establish how nutrients best promote an increase in energy expenditure and therefore weight loss. The experiments will be performed in rats using sophisticated technologies to introduce specific combinations of fats, carbohydrates or proteins directly into the stomach and then measure energy expenditure in a specialised type of energy burning rather than energy storing fat called brown adipose tissue. ...."Smart Food" - The fulcrum in the energy balance equation. The overall aim of the project is to establish how nutrients best promote an increase in energy expenditure and therefore weight loss. The experiments will be performed in rats using sophisticated technologies to introduce specific combinations of fats, carbohydrates or proteins directly into the stomach and then measure energy expenditure in a specialised type of energy burning rather than energy storing fat called brown adipose tissue. These experiments will uncover the mechanisms that relate nutrients in the stomach and activation of brown adipose tissue. They will provide a framework on which this project can build a knowledge of smart diets that will allow the effective control of body weight through modulation of energy expenditure. Read moreRead less
Dietary sugarcane-derived polyphenols reduce obesity. The Australian Sugar Industry is a billion dollar industry with refined sugar being calorie-rich but nutrition poor. Consumption of refined sugar is a main contributor to the increasing problem of obesity and metabolic syndrome, costing the Australian health system billions of dollars annually. The principal outcomes of this project will be to show that the polyphenols contained in the waste products from sugar refining can be used to reduce ....Dietary sugarcane-derived polyphenols reduce obesity. The Australian Sugar Industry is a billion dollar industry with refined sugar being calorie-rich but nutrition poor. Consumption of refined sugar is a main contributor to the increasing problem of obesity and metabolic syndrome, costing the Australian health system billions of dollars annually. The principal outcomes of this project will be to show that the polyphenols contained in the waste products from sugar refining can be used to reduce body fat and insulin resistance. These outcomes have enormous implications for human health and disease, and for the sugar industry, thus providing a competitive edge in the world sugar market.Read moreRead less
Amino acids as nutrients - the molecular basis of amino acid absorption in kidney and intestine. Nutrition is a critical factor for well being and health. This is highlighted by the increase in frequency of type II diabetes and the obesity problem that all societies with a western diet face. Most studies in nutrition focus on fat and carbohydrates because of their direct involvement in obesity and diabetes. Proteins and the resulting peptides and amino acids, however, form 10-15% of our nutritio ....Amino acids as nutrients - the molecular basis of amino acid absorption in kidney and intestine. Nutrition is a critical factor for well being and health. This is highlighted by the increase in frequency of type II diabetes and the obesity problem that all societies with a western diet face. Most studies in nutrition focus on fat and carbohydrates because of their direct involvement in obesity and diabetes. Proteins and the resulting peptides and amino acids, however, form 10-15% of our nutrition. At a time where protein-rich diets are recommended to fight obesity and diabetes, it is important to understand the basis of protein absorption and metabolism. This project investigates the mechanism and mediators of amino acid absorption in kidney and intestine. Read moreRead less
Early life overfeeding - mechanisms for programming obesity and long-term immune dysfunction. Early life overfeeding can lead to obesity and related changes in adulthood. With this study we will discover how overfeeding can permanently alter an animal's development so that its body weight and immune functions are dysregulated. The outcomes will facilitate appropriate design of animal experiments considering the impact of neonatal programming. They will also contribute to more efficient feeding p ....Early life overfeeding - mechanisms for programming obesity and long-term immune dysfunction. Early life overfeeding can lead to obesity and related changes in adulthood. With this study we will discover how overfeeding can permanently alter an animal's development so that its body weight and immune functions are dysregulated. The outcomes will facilitate appropriate design of animal experiments considering the impact of neonatal programming. They will also contribute to more efficient feeding protocols for meat production in agriculture and identify targets for risk management and for preventing and ameliorating early life overfeeding effects in humans. This investigation therefore has clear benefits to the social, economic, and health aspects of obesity and to basic science and agriculture.Read moreRead less
SCRC: Masters M3.1 Nutritional Genomics And Its Application To Aquaculture (Prof Abigail Elizur; Student Linda Moss)
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Summary
The project aims to address the question: Can different aquaculture diets be assessed and evaluated by examining the expression profiles on known (or newly discovered) candidate genes that are responsible for, or associated with, the digestion and absorption of diet components.
Nutrition is a key significant consideration in aquaculture operations and absorption of molecular components of feed is the main factor contributing to nutrition in fish. An innovative alternative to feed trials ....The project aims to address the question: Can different aquaculture diets be assessed and evaluated by examining the expression profiles on known (or newly discovered) candidate genes that are responsible for, or associated with, the digestion and absorption of diet components.
Nutrition is a key significant consideration in aquaculture operations and absorption of molecular components of feed is the main factor contributing to nutrition in fish. An innovative alternative to feed trials is the use of nutritional genomics, where the specific response to the various diet at a gene expression level can potentially predict the quality of the diet and its suitabilty for optimum aquaculture use.
Candidate genes for such studies include genes associated with the digestion and absorption of nutrients i.e. trypsin, aminopeptidase, bile salt-activated lipase, insulin, glucagon and cholecstokinin. This project is expected to also lead to the discovery of a novel suite of genes whose expression is diet dependant, leading to the discovery of suitable markers for diet effectiveness, reducing the necessity and costs of feed trials.
The research done during the project is expected to greatly enhance our knowledge of the molecular processes with feed digestion, absorption and feed development, thus not only offereing an attractive testing alternative to diet development, but also explore the animal's response to different diets.Read moreRead less
SCRC: SCRC Honours Scholarship H4.3 The Effects Of Feeding Alternative Protein Sources On The Intestinal Mucus Layer And Mucosal Architecture In Yellowtail Kingfish (Rebecca Forder; Student Matthew Bransemer.)
Abalone Aquaculture Subprogram: Optimisation Of Essential Lipids In Artificial Feeds For Australian Abalone
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$193,515.00
Summary
Objectives: 1. Determine baseline lipid class, essential fatty acid and sterol composition data of the local abalone (from the wild) 2. Examine the amounts and proportions of nutritionally important lipid components of the abalone diet through growth rate bioassays. The feasibility of using radioactivity-labelled precursors will be examined as a means of examining uptake and possible bioconversion into biochemically-important compounds 3. Determine is suitable supplements are req ....Objectives: 1. Determine baseline lipid class, essential fatty acid and sterol composition data of the local abalone (from the wild) 2. Examine the amounts and proportions of nutritionally important lipid components of the abalone diet through growth rate bioassays. The feasibility of using radioactivity-labelled precursors will be examined as a means of examining uptake and possible bioconversion into biochemically-important compounds 3. Determine is suitable supplements are required by determining assimilation rates and digestibility values of the lipid components oin fish oil based diets (which have compositions different to natural feeds) for abalone. Identify the fish oil, oil blend or modified oil which demonstrates the highest growth rates in abalone within economic constraints. Read moreRead less
The Development Of Manufactured Attractants As A Means To Harvest Prawns Specifically
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$304,920.00
Summary
This proposal represents an attempt to develop alternative technologies that would allow the prawn trawl industry to meet present and future strict environmental standards at a reduced operating cost. The proposal is not without risk, but reflects a genuine need to consider alternative fishing approaches outside the current thought envelope. If successful it would allow the industry to claim high environmental standards, meeting or exceeding the community expectations.
Alternatives to ....This proposal represents an attempt to develop alternative technologies that would allow the prawn trawl industry to meet present and future strict environmental standards at a reduced operating cost. The proposal is not without risk, but reflects a genuine need to consider alternative fishing approaches outside the current thought envelope. If successful it would allow the industry to claim high environmental standards, meeting or exceeding the community expectations.
Alternatives to established fishery harvest methods are essential to meet ecologically sustainable development (ESD) requirements as dictated by international (UN) and national legislation (both federal and state) covering the marine environment. In recent years drift nets have been banned in many areas due to their detrimental impacts on non-targeted species and ecosystem structure. Similarly, ground trawling has been identified as a harvest technology that requires either restriction or banning due to its putative detrimental impacts on benthic ecosystems and disruption to food webs. Whereas drift net has been largely replaced by the sustainable and targeted method of hook and line harvesting, there are few alternatives to ground trawling.
Traps are used extensively for the harvesting of crustacea. Suitably designed pot traps can result in a minimum of by-catch and target individuals of specific size classes. However, pot trap fisheries utilise food as bait by which to attract the targeted species into the trap. Baited traps and pots are used for the commercial harvesting of pandalid prawns in the east Pacific and North Atlantic, where average catch/vessel/day of fishing effort is 80-110 kg. A smaller pot fishery exists for penaeid prawns in various parts of the Pacific basin and the Caribbean. However, attempts to date to develop a large pot trap fishery based on food bait for penaeid prawns have been largely unsuccessful.
It is proposed that chemical attractants, and not food bait, be examined as a means to harvest penaeid prawns in pots. The development of alternative harvest methods could form a non-trawl fishery with minimum by-catch, open up new areas to harvesting which are unsuitable for trawling, and produce a less stressful method to collect broodstock P. monodon prawns for the aquaculture sector as well as have spin-off potential for the development of pot trap fisheries for other species of crustacea. Objectives: 1. 1. To quantify the attraction and specificity of pheromones from crustacea in experimental environments. 2. 2. To develop methods suitable for isolating and concentrating pheromones from crustacea, especially penaeid prawns. 3. 3. To identify a mechanism for manufacturing a bait incorporating these novel attractants. Read moreRead less
Seafood CRC: Development Of Formulated Diets For Cultured Abalone
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$218,931.70
Summary
It is estimated that 1000 tonnes of formulated feeds are used to achieve the current level of production. Feed is considered as the major variable cost (up to 30%) associated with abalone production (Mr Justin Fromm, personal communication), so minor improvements in feeds or feed efficiency may result in large improvements in productivity. There are currently four feed manufacturers supplying the abalone grow-out sector and each feed company typically offers one formulation of feed for the enti ....It is estimated that 1000 tonnes of formulated feeds are used to achieve the current level of production. Feed is considered as the major variable cost (up to 30%) associated with abalone production (Mr Justin Fromm, personal communication), so minor improvements in feeds or feed efficiency may result in large improvements in productivity. There are currently four feed manufacturers supplying the abalone grow-out sector and each feed company typically offers one formulation of feed for the entire ~2.5 year production cycle of greenlip or hybrid abalone. It is common practice in other sectors of the livestock industry to use a range of different diet formulations throughout the production cycle to satisfy the requirements of animals of different life stages. It is also well established that in the wild abalone have at least two distinct feeding strategies as they develop with young cryptic abalone grazing on epiphytic organisms whilst older animals feed on macroalgae. Improvements in commercial feeds formulated for abalone, specifically for different life stages and/or water temperatures (seasonal/inter-annual/climate change), are likely to deliver improvement in weight gain per unit cost across an entire grow out period.
As a result of a recent R & D planning meeting held by AAGA, other industry participants, AS CRC and research providers, the AAGA perceive that the current commercial abalone feeds do not contain the required nutrient combinations to meet the genetic potential for growth. Australian abalone feed producers have based dietary formulations on information from previous FRDC funded projects. The information from the FRDC projects, including a range of ingredient nutrient availability and nutrient requirement data, resulted in the standard of Australian abalone feeds surpassing Japanese abalone feeds (considered as the benchmark at the time). AAGA have identified research in this area to be their highest priority within the AS CRC. Objectives: 1. To detemine optimum protein and energy requirements for small greenlip and hybrid abalone at different temperatures 2. To detemine optimum protein and energy requirements for larger greenlip and hybrid abalone at different temperatures 3. To develop and test starter feeds and improved grow-out feeds for greenlip and hybrid abalone in commercial settings 4. To develop an on-farm grow-out trial research protocol manual. Read moreRead less