Studies on innovative technologies for incorporating veterinary drugs into feed aiming to optimize fish treatment and mitigate the risks associated with the practice

• Grant number: 25/00783-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: May 01, 2025
• End date: December 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Chemical Engineering - Industrial Operations and Equipment for Chemical Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Wanderley Pereira Oliveira
• Grantee: Paulo Augusto Marques Chagas
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas de Ribeirão Preto (FCFRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 21/08152-0 - Challenge of the use of drugs in fish farming in the context of One Health: evaluation of efficacy, safety and risk analysis, AP.TEM

Abstract

Fish treatment with veterinary drugs is generally administered orally through the provision of medicated feed, which is directly released into the water. There are several possible methods to incorporate the drug (or premix of Pharmacologically Active Ingredients, PAI) into the feed. Drug addition can occur at the beginning of the feed manufacturing process, alongside the original ingredients, at the end of the pelleting process, or after extrusion. In common practice, the most employed method is the on-site addition of the drug (or premix) to readily available commercial feeds. This is done using a mixer, where producers initially place the feed and then prepare a drug solution in water or mineral oil (depending on the solubility of the drug), which is subsequently poured or sprayed onto the moving feed.However, several challenges must be considered in the process of incorporating the drug into the feed to ensure the correct dose for treatment and minimize environmental contamination risks. These challenges include: (i) ensuring the intended concentration of the drug in the feed, accounting for potential loss during the incorporation process and/or possible degradation; (ii) ensuring the homogeneous distribution of the drug among the feed pellets; (iii) not compromising the feed's palatability; (iv) minimizing the leaching of the drug into the water; and (v) ensuring the drug's bioavailability. These challenges must be addressed to guarantee the intended treatment efficacy and ensure that the practice does not pose risks to consumer health or the aquatic environment.Therefore, this challenge will consider different technologies for incorporating PAI into commercial feed, evaluating the best alternative for each PAI under study. Among the various incorporation procedures, alternatives involving micro or nanotechnology represent significant innovations. The release and efficacy of drugs with antimicrobial action can be enhanced by the use of micro or nanoparticle carriers, which can even reduce the required PAI dosage during treatment. However, the choice of material for this purpose must be carefully evaluated from a toxicological perspective, as the accumulation of toxins in the body can pose a threat to consumers and potentially limit the inclusion of nanotechnology in animal production. Thus, it is crucial to select only biocompatible and preferably biodegradable nanoparticles for use in feed.