Key Takeaways
Reporter Highlights
- 01Plant-derived additive reduced antibiotic dependence by 41% in field trials.
- 02Survival rate of treated tilapia stocks increased by 17% during the dry season.
- 03Patent filed jointly with a regional aquafeed manufacturer.
A team led by Associate Professor Dr. Hien Van Doan has published the first long-horizon results for a plant-derived feed additive that markedly improves immune response in tilapia and shrimp. Across nine months of trials at partner farms, treated stocks exhibited stronger pathogen resistance and a 17% higher survival rate during the dry season.
The additive is produced from agricultural by-products native to the upper Mekong region, avoiding the synthetic immunostimulants that dominate global aquafeed markets. Cost per kilogram comes in at roughly 60% of the imported equivalent and uses only locally available raw inputs.
Antibiotic dependence — a long-standing source of regulatory friction for export-oriented producers — fell by 41% across the trial cohort. The team has filed a joint patent with a regional aquafeed manufacturer and expects commercial availability in the next planting season.
The work directly serves CMU's Climate Crisis cluster mandate by reducing both the carbon and antibiotic footprint of regional protein production, while keeping value capture inside the local supply chain.