Sarawak Biodiversity Council, Mitsubishi Corporation and CHITOSE group are pleased to announce their joint collaboration with Sea Horse Corporation Sdn. Bhd. for testing algae on commercial shrimp aquaculture.
The MOU is for three purposes: (1) investigating the use of specific algae strains in methods that will lead to prevention or reduction of diseases in aquaculture, (2) to share the information and data gathered from the investigation to establish protocols for production of aquaculture stocks, and (3) cooperate in research on the use of algae strains to enhance aquaculture production and commercialization. The MOU will valid from 27 August 2019 until 31 May 2020.
Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) and Sarawak Biodiversity Centre (SBC), a research institute established by the council have started their collaboration since 2012 to identify potential indigenous microalgae strains with diverse applications in biofuel, food supplement or even biomass feedstock production. In year 2014, the collaboration extended to Phase II to evaluate isolated strains for outdoor cultivation to determine the economic cost with the technical assistance of CHITOSE Group (CHITOSE). The collaboration continued to Phase III in year 2017 to design an Algae Cultivation Facility (ACF) for scale up production and assessment of the microalgal strain performance. With completion of the ACF in November 2018, it has undergone numerous operational tests and improvement to achieve the best performance.
In 2017, SBC, MC and CHITOSE collaborated with Sea Horse Corporation Sdn Bhd (SH), to use a microalgal strain collected from Sarawak, Chlorella (green algae), to test its ability to reduce shrimp related aquaculture diseases.
In the interest to continue testing more algae samples from a unique library of a collection of microalgae, SBC, MC, CHITOSE and SH agrees to collaborate and combine efforts to discover how microalgae could improve production and performance.
DETAIL OF THE PARTIES:
About SBC
The Sarawak Biodiversity Centre (SBC) was established in 1997 under the Sarawak Biodiversity Centre Ordinance with a mission to document Traditional Knowledge from the indigenous communities of Sarawak and to implement responsible bioprospecting strategies to unlock the biotechnological potential of Borneo’s unique biodiversity.
Mitsubishi Corporation
The Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) was established in July, 1954. The headquarters is at 3-1, Marunouchi 2-Chome, Chiyoda-Ku, Tokyo 100-8086, Japan. MC is a global integrated business enterprise that develops and operates business across virtually every industry including industrial finance, energy, metals, machinery, chemicals, foods, and environmental business.
CHITOSE Group
The Chitose Bio Evolution Pte. Ltd is the holding company for a group of biotechnology companies, CHITOSE Group. Chitose Bio Evolution Pte. Ltd was established in October, 2011. The headquarters is in Singapore. The business overview: management supporting to group companies by providing R & D strategies, bio-related business development strategies, human resources development assistance, financial guidance and advise, and so on.
Sea Horse Corporation Sdn. Bhd.
Sea Horse Corporation Sdn. Bhd. is a Sarawak-based seafood processing company since 1978. The company owns a whole supply and value chain from the shrimp hatchery, shrimp farming, processing and export. The company collect and process jelly fish from all over Sarawak coast for export. The company export its products to Japan, China, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand Middle Eastern Countries and European countries. The company employs a total workforce of about 500 employees.
Click here to watch the introductory video regarding the MOU.