GIAbiochem ^®

Seafood constitutes an important source of omega 3 fatty acids, high quality protein, vitamins and minerals in human nutrition. Besides, in Aquaculture production, the nutritional composition of feeds and ingredients is not only critical for aquatic animals growth, but also greatly affects their quality for the consumers. GIAbiochem service offers a wide range of analysis to determine the nutritional quality of these and other alimentary products.

The services offered include:

• Determination of the nutritional properties of seafood and other alimentary products.
  
  1. Ingredients, feeds, organisms, organs and tissue composition including:
  2. Proximate composition (crude protein, total lipids, ash and moisure).
  3. Phospholipid content and lipid class composition.
  4. Fatty acid profiles of total lipids or specific lipid classes.
  5. Carotenoids, vitamin A and vitamin E contents.
  6. Aminoacid profiles.

• Study of the enzymatic activity in different organs and tissues.
• Feed and ingredients quality determined by peroxide values, biogenic amines, etc. in cooperation with GIAqualities.
• Systematic control of feed quality for commercial producers.

Contact person: Marisol Izquierdo  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

GIAculture^®

Giaculture service offers to enterprises and research groups the design and accomplishment of fish culture trials along the whole life cycle, including, larval development, on-growing and reproduction of species with aquaculture interest such as gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata), European sea Bass (Dicentrarchus labrax), meager (Argyrosomus regius), yellowtail, (Seriola spp.), red porgy (Pagrus pagrus), amberjack (Pseudocaranx dentex), etc. The service evaluates culture methodologies, ingredients, dietary additives, genetic lines, etc. with highly qualified technical assistance and technicians specialized in aquaculture.

Among others the service offers:

• Design and implementation of studies in research, technological development and innovation in aquaculture.
• Assessment and advice to private companies, including feed or additives producers, pharmacological enterprises, farms or hatcheries.
• Assessment and advice to other research teams and public entities in research and development.

Planning and accomplishment of aquaculture training programs for business staff or students of different colleges and technical schools.

Contact person: Daniel Montero,  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

GIAgen^®

This service provides technical support and scientific advice to researchers from the University, and other Research Institutes or Universities, in addition to public or private companies, to incorporate genetic tools and models into their projects and daily work. Thus, the service supports both the experimental design as in the processing and analysis of results. 
The services offered include:

• Purification of Nucleic Acids (DNA, RNA).
• Quantification and normalization of Nucleic Acids.
• Design of primers for sequencing and nucleic acid amplification.
• Design of multiplex PCR.
• Cloning of Nucleic Acids.
• Sequencing of Nucleic Acids.
• Genotyping of molecular markers.
• Gene expression analysis (Real Time-PCR).
• Quantitative analysis of character economically important (estimate genetic parameters).
• Morphological analysis by image analyzer.

Contact person: María Jesús Zamorano Serrano             This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

GIAhistopath

The GIAhistopath service handles the processing, interpretation and microscopic examination of samples from aquatic animals, offering a wide variety of routine and specific histology techniques to support both companies, for a histopathological diagnosis and research groups, for scientific development.

The services offered are:

• Processing of fish and other aquatic organisms samples in paraffin for pathological evaluation.
• Application of cryostat techniques in fish tissue.
• Application of electron microscopy in fish tissue.
• Immunohistochemistry.
• Immunofluorescence.
• In Situ Hybridization.
• Analysis of immunological parameters in blood and mucus.
• Design of experiments against pathogens and bacterial translocation studies.
• Determination of intestinal microflora profiles.
• Image analysis of histological photographs.

• Technical and histopathological reports.
• Advice on pathological diagnosis of the aquaculture sector companies.

• Technical support to feed companies for immunological and morphological evaluation of new biotech products.
• Technical training programs in fish morphology and immunology.

Contact person: Marisol izquierdo This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

A.May Grumwals-Giemsa technique, B. Immunofluorescence, C. Electron Microscopy, D. Immunohistochemistry

GIAMesocosm^®

The service GIAMesocosm offers, both for commercial production and experimental studies, high quality eggs, larvae and juveniles from a wide range of marine species of aquaculture interest such as gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata), European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax), meagre (Argyrosomus regius), sole (Solea sp.), red porgy (Pagrus pagrus), striped jack (Pseudocaranx dentex) or yellowtails (Seriola spp.) together with the production of live food (phytoplankton, rotifers, Artemia). Besides, the service offers the posibility to test tecnologies and products in different culture systems under semi-intensive or intensive conditions at a semi-commercial scale. 

The services and products offered include:

• High quality eggs, larvae and juveniles, strong and fast growing for commercial production or research.
• Assesmenta and advice for hatcheries.
• Live feed enrichments and microdiets adapted to the species of interest.
• Development and transfer of production technologies of new species for aquaculture.
• Training and specializing of technitians in broodstock management, hatcheries and weanning.

Contact person: Fco. Javier Roo Filgueira f This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Tubular photobioreactor (left) and batch system (middle) for microalgae production, large scale rotifers production tanks (right).

Larval rearing tanks for Semi-intensive (mesocosms) with 40 m3 capacity (left), intensive with 2m3 capacity (middle) and  pre-growing tanks with  10 m3 capacity (right).

Users:

Skretting ARC, Biomar, Clean Algae S.L; Palmitos Park S.A, COC-IEO; Canexmar S.L, ADSA, Acuibag, Tinamenor S.A.

GIAqualities^®

The GIA Quality service GIAqualities offers to both enterprises and research entities different types of quality determinations for aquatic products including organoleptic quality of aquatic products, freshness evolution along shelf life during ice storage, or consumer preferences, etc. The sensory evaluation is carried out by a trained panel of experts or untrained potential consumers in specific facilities designed under standard conditions for the appropriate evaluation of quality. Freshness is studied both instrumental and sensory protocols, as QIM, nucleotic degradation, biogenic amines or texture profile. Besides, consumers tests are design and conducted, including qualitative and quantitative approaches.

Analysis of physical qualities of acuatic products:

• Instrumental Texture caracterization of whole fish and fillets, and, in cooperation with GIAhistopath® muscle gaping due to proteolytic activities post mortem.
  • Fillet and skin color and, in cooperation with GIABiochem, pigmentation.
  • Liquid holding capacity
• Determination of sensorial characteristics and organoleptic properties of standarized cooked acuatic products:
  • By trained panels (10-30 persons) to rate the intensity of aspect, aroma, flavor, texture, color, etc.
  • Consumer testing to determine aquatic products acceptance by large panels of untrained people recruited from potential consumers.
• Effects on shelf life and frozen storage of seafood products, including freshness determination based on fish appearance, texture and odor, Quality Index Method (QIM), TBARS, pH, etc.
• Morfological characterization, including X ray and, in cooperation with GIAhistopath®, specific staining.
• Contaminants contents in acuatic products.

Contact person: Rafael Ginés Ruiz             This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

GIAaquaria®

GIAaquaria service is encharged  of aquaria design, maintenance and management, as well as the culture of ornamental marine species, in all the phases of its biological cycle: reproduction,  larval culture and ongrowing  using a wide variety of culture technologies, routine and specific.

The services offered include:

• Training and assessment to distinct companies of the sector and to support research groups for scientific task development.

Contact person: Lucía Molina     This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

GIAsanacuic®

Diagnosis service of diseases in aquaculture species, as well as the development and innovation of immunomodulatory techniques for the improvement of aquaculture production. Goals:

• Offer companies in the sector the diagnosis of diseases in fish. - Identification and typification of probiotics for the improvement of productions.
• Offer to companies and public or private research centers the preparation of vaccines for fish diseases and the evaluation of the immunological response of a group of fish in different situations.
• Offer administrations the possibility of carrying out analyzes for sanitary control of the aquaculture industry and artisanal fishing.