FAO has considered production of fish protein to be paramount to supply human population in the next 50 years, leading to the concept of “Blue Revolution”. Although large quantities of fish larvae are produced by aquaculture industry, survival rates are often low or highly variable and growth potential is in most cases not fully exploited. The larval survival rates for the major Mediterranean farmed species of marine fish are commonly around 10%.

The link between diet and metabolism is well established, and new genomic technologies have made possible the research of nutritional modulation of metabolism with nutrients, micronutrients and phytochemicals. Omic-based studies have allowed to provide insights into how nutritional stimuli, acting both in the embryo and beyond birth, during the early phases of development, may have a long-term impact on cellular structure and function. Thus, discovering new methods to improve gastrointestinal tract maturation and concomitantly digestive efficiency without compromising survival and fitness represents a very promising avenue in fish nutrition research.

The objective of PROLAR project is to promote intestinal maturation and functionality in fish larvae through early nutrition and metabolic programming. Accumulated evidence in humans show that fetal under- and over-nutrition induce long-term changes in the offspring through epigenetic modifications, and the influence of intestinal microbiota on physiology is now widely recognized. Given that diet shapes the intestinal microbiota, this raises the question of how the nutritional environment and microbial assemblages influence animal physiology. This research field constitutes a new frontier in the field of nutrition that needs to be addressed.

Papers in international scientific periodicals with referees

1. Xavier, M.J., Dardengo, G., Navarro-Guillén, C., Lopes, A., Colen, R., Valente, L.M.P., Conceição, L.E.C., Engrola, S. 202 Dietary curcumin promotes gilthead seabream larvae digestive capacity and modulates oxidative status. Animals 11 (6): 1667. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11061667. 
2. Navarro-Guillén, C., Pereira, G.V., Lopes, A., Colen, R., Engrola, S. 2021. Egg nutritional modulation with amino acids improved performance in zebrafish larvae. PLOs ONE 16(4): e0248356. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0248356. 

Data set

1. Navarro-Guillén, C., Vale Pereira, G., Lopes, A., Colen, R., Engrola, S. 202 Data from: Egg nutritional modulation with amino acids improved performance in zebrafish larvae [Data set]. Zenodo. http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4537443

communications

1. Jerez-Cepa, I., Navarro-Guillén, C., Lopes, A., Mancera, J.V., Engrola, S. 202 in ovo amino acids supplementation modulates intermediary metabolism in zebrafish larvae challenged at high temperature. European Europe 20 – online, April 12th-15th. Poster.

2. Navarro-Guillén, C., Jerez-Cepa, I., Lopes, A., Engrola, S. 2021. in ovo arginine supplementation improves resilience against challenging conditions in zebrafish larvae. European Europe 20 – online, April 12^th-15^th. Oral.

3. Xavier. M.J., Conceição, L.E.C., Valente, L.M.P., Engrola, S. 2021. Dietary curcumin modulates digestive capacity and oxidative status in different larvae stages of gilthead seabream. European Europe 21, October 4^th-7^th, Funchal, Madeira. Oral.

4. Engrola, S., Lopes, A., Colen, R., Navarro-Guillén, C. 2019. May fish larvae digestive capacity be enhanced at embryonic stage? Conference Latin American & Caribbean Aquaculture 2019, November 20^th-22^nd San José, Costa Rica. Oral.

5. Lopes, A., Navarro-Guillén, C., Engrola, S. 2019. Does amino acid supplementation in zebrafish (Danio rerio) embryo affects larval development? 12th Congress of the Iberian Association of Comparative Endocrinology (AIEC). September 26th-28th, Faro, Portugal. Poster.
6. Navarro-Guillén, C., Lopes, A., Colen, R., Engrola, S. 2019. In ovo incorporation of bioactive compounds in zebrafish through ultrasound waves. SEB2019 – The Society for Experimental Biology. July 2nd-5th, Seville, Spain. Poster.

7. Navarro-Guillén, C., Lopes, A., Colen, R., Engrola, S. 2019. In ovo incorporation of bioactive compounds in zebrafish through ultrasound waves. SEB2019 – The Society for Experimental Biology. July 2nd-5th, Seville, Spain. Pecha Kucha.
8. Navarro-Guillén, C., Lopes, A., Colen, R., Engrola, S. 2019. Enhancing fish digestive efficiency through nutritional modulation at embryonic stage. Aquaculture Europe 19 – Our future, growing from water, Cooperation for growth, October 7th-10th Berlin, Germany. Poster.
9. Navarro-Guillén, C. 2018. La revolución azul, un doble desafío nutricional. 1^st Congress of Young Sea Researchers. October 3^rd-5^th, University of Cádiz, Spain. Invited oral presentation.