Pasta alle vongole rescued
with freeze-dried micro-algae 😉
Pasta alle vongole, a dish prepared with the typical “carpet clams” or “Venus clams”. These small, but very tasty shellfish give the fresh pasta the taste of the Italian sea on your plate. Close your eyes and you imagine yourself at a terrace on the San Marco square in Venice.
The Venice Lagoon is since longtime known for the shellfish farming tradition. The local indigenous clam, Ruditapes decussatus, has been used in many local seafood dishes for decades. But the species has a difficult time, because of its decreased resistance to infection and parasites.
Since the 1980’s another species, Ruditapes philippinarum or Manila clam, was introduced in the Adriatic Sea and became very popular in the shellfish hatcheries.
A successful breeding process of clams depends a lot on a well balance diet, says Theodore Tserni, CEO from Thetis Acquacoltura. In our hatchery we primarily use algae to feed both our broodstock and our larvae. Algae quality and quantity in a shellfish hatchery are by far the most important things to keep under control.
With Proviron we have successfully been able to integrate freeze dried algae into our production.
Adult clams are filtering animals, so for the broodstock it is extremely important to have a stable nutrition of good quality algae in order to achieve the best quality and quantity for gametes. We use premium dried algae in combination with live algae. A well-considered mix gives us very good results over a long period. The animals are very healthy and the gonadic development is great.
Also larvae eat algae as food. As a matter of fact, they are not only influenced by the nutritional state of the broodstock, also their development (growth rate, mobility, resilience) is strictly related to their diet. We are currently setting up some experiments also to try the dried algae on larvae.Â
And for that we can count on the Proviron Algae team. It’s amazing how they help us with our experiments and tests. We have access to very detailed information. And when we have additional questions, they are always prone to help looking for a solution.
“Proviron has changed the way we look at phytoplankton. This is the first time we have successfully been able to integrate freeze dried algae into our production. The value they bring through their products makes them a long way ahead of the competition.“
The value Proviron brings through their freeze dried products makes them a long way ahead of the competition.
