Biotechnology is fast becoming one of the most revolutionary growth industries of the 21st Century. We believe the Science of Biotechnology has the power to re-invent aquaculture in the areas of disease control, production improvement, cheaper feeds and value enhancement. The Malaysian Government has made Biotechnology one of the nation’s 5 Growth Engines and Global Satria is playing an active role in the area of Mariculture Biotechnology. This year alone, Global Satria’s Chief Technology Officer, Ung Eng Huan has been invited to address the Malaysian Academy of Science, the 4th Asia-Pacific Conference on Tissue Culture and Agribiotechnology and the Conference on Modern Biotechnology, organized by the Malaysian Biotechnology Corporation, on Global Satria’s biotechnology research.
Together with our research partners, the University of Malaya, we are the recipient of a RM2 million TechnoFund Grant from the Ministry to Science to develop an Algal DNA vaccine for White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV causes over USD1 billion losses annually all over the world by some estimates). Disease control by vaccine development to stimulate the prawn’s short-term immune memory that is extremely different from the vertebrate model can potentially be a major spin-off.
We are also researching into ribosomal inactivating proteins (RIPs) as potential antiviral therapeutics while our wholly-owned subsidiary BioSatria S/B is also exploring the use of antiviral compounds (AVCs). BioSatria S/B has been specially incorporated so that it can be a future BioNexus member company associated with the Malaysia Biotechnology Corporation.
Production improvement in aquaculture crops can be effected by increasing growth or survival or both. While vaccines may improve survival, growth may be improved by increasing anti-stress factors, improving food assimilation or activation of “silent genes”. We have been able to use a molecular signal to activate a “silent gene” that stimulates extraordinarily rapid growth in 1:100000 of the population. We call this the “Giant Gene” and we will study how this gene allows a shorter molt cycle, increases the elasticity of the postmolt integument and increases the rate of glycogen mobilization. The 1 in every 100000 prawns that possess this gene will be the core of our future Broodstock program so that we can bypass the conventional breeding program that requires crossing over many generations. To improve the stability of this process, we will cross Indian Ocean genetic stock with Pacific Ocean genetic stock prior to waking up this Giant Gene. As no genes are transferred between organisms, this is a non-GMO technology.
Malaysia is a signatory of the Cartagena Protocol and the Malaysian Parliament has passed a BioSafety Bill that will soon become the BioSafety Act once the King of Malaysia endorses it. As a responsible corporate citizen, Global Satria will adhere strictly to all aspects of BioSafety and work together with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment on this.
Cheaper feeds may also result from Biotechnology. We have successfully made Single Cell Protein (SCP) from Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch (EFB) and found that the Banana prawn would rather consume this than commercial prawn feed. However, Tiger Prawns would rather starve to death than to consume this! The 2 species of bacteria – one producing large amounts of lignase while the other large amounts of cellulose, were the result of our Bio-Prospecting Program that took us as far as the territorially disputed Spratley Islands in the South China Sea with the help of the Royal Malaysian Navy and the Malaysian Society for Marine Science.
Value enhancement can come from colour enhancement of cooked prawns. To be eco-friendly, we have developed a method of recycling prawn heads to extract the pigment astaxanthin using enzyme technology while inactivating any viruses that may be present. When this is incorporated into feed and fed back during the final 10days before harvest, pigmentation is enhanced giving a stronger colour after cooking.
The great majority of Aquaculture companies are not involved in Biotechnology and vice-versa. In many ways, one is the hardware while the other is the software. With Biotech-driven Aquaculture, Global Satria is venturing into a very exclusive domain. This comes at a time when the world is experiencing Climate Change, Over-fishing and a rising fossil fuel prices.
Aquaculture consumed only 10% of the world’s fishmeal in 1988 but by 2002, this percentage had risen to 48%. Aquaculture crops killed by viruses therefore represent a waste of fishmeal at a time when the oceans are beginning to be depleted. The use of biotech vaccines and therapeutics in the future will help to save crops and conserve valuable fishmeal. Future development of Biomass Transformation will also allow the production of highly nutritious fishmeal substitutes from agricultural wastes so that a zero-fishmeal prawn feed may one day be a reality!
The use of beneficial bacteria to lower Biological Oxygen Demand in ponds together with unicellular algae producing photosynthetic oxygen will allow crops grown with less mechanical aeration that requires energy and thus, indirectly, fossil fuels. The use of gene silencing using Anti-Sense RNA can lead to viral resistant crops as has already been proven in a number of agricultural crops. The use of gene signaling can lead to increased growth performance, higher production of antioxidants in the blood of the prawn and thus, reduce the chances of disease outbreaks.
Seaweed extracts may lead to blocking quorum sensing in bacteria leading to less losses due to pathogenic bacteria growing in the hepatopancreas (an organ that functions as both the liver and kidney in prawns). Immunostimulants made from seaweed components will also help prawns and fish cope with various forms of short-term stress.
The seas are the final frontier through which man may produce food. Agricultural land has already almost been fully utilized since the days of the agricultural revolution. The Industrial revolution has resulted in the generation of massive amounts of cellulosic wastes that when burnt, release Green House Gasses (GHG). Biotechnology may one day find an efficient way of recycling these wastes into Single Cell Protein that is highly nutritious either directly to prawns or to another organism they will gladly feed upon. Our scientists are already working on this. The problems we are trying to solve are therefore not limited to Global Satria……..or to Malaysia………but many are problems that face the whole world.
When our efforts bear fruit, and some of them already have, this will result in a lower cost of production and ultimately a lower cost to the consumer. Many believe that aquatic animal protein can one day be comparable in cost to other forms of terrestrial animal protein.