KYTOS and I&V Bio joined forces to bring rapid sample logistics (I&V Bio) and local microbiome analysis (KYTOS) to the six of the most important shrimp-producing countries (Thailand, Indonesia, India, Vietnam, Ecuador and Bangladesh). The partnership will install local and independent KYTOS labs to serve aquaculture farms and hatcheries with cutting-edge high throughput microbiome management tools.
The partnership combines I&V Bio’s long-standing expertise in serving aquaculture clients every single day of the year with KYTOS’s novel microbial fingerprinting technology that brings a holistic view of aquaculture microbiome health. Vietnam has been selected as the first country where a central sample collection point, equipped with KYTOS’s automated microbiome analysis platform will be established. The other countries will follow swiftly.
KYTOS technology can already characterize most of the microbial life (fungi, bacteria and algae) in the water, sediment and shrimp of a pond. Functional indicators, devised using machine learning, connect these data to farm actions such as biofloc formation, water maturation, and microalgae blooms. This ever-expanding list of indicators will help aquaculture farmers shift the focus from mitigating diseases to an altogether improved management of the microbiome in their systems.
Enabling precision farming in aquaculture
In the fields of water and animal treatments, KYTOS can now open the microbial black box in aquaculture systems by using so-called “microbial fingerprints”. This assessment provides farmers with microbial health insights that empower them to take targeted actions to optimize animal health and production yields.
“The need for improved health management and disease prevention is as critical today as ever. Effective biosecurity will always be key to boosting the commercial viability and environmental responsibility of the shrimp farming industry,” said Frank Indigne, CEO of I&V Bio.
KYTOS uses big data and artificial intelligence to reduce aquaculture’s unpredictability by creating practical tools that help all stakeholders make informed management decisions to improve their farm performance. “Shrimp aquaculture has largely been deprived of the benefits of new microbiome technologies and knowledge. At KYTOS, we’re on a mission to change that status quo. This partnership is an important step to bring our microbial fingerprinting platform to farmers across the world. By working closely with all stakeholders in the industry, we will create a unique opportunity to manage the microbiome together, for the benefit of the industry,” concluded Ruben Props, CEO of KYTOS.
