Aquaculture Europe 2025 - Valencia

Carl John Saromines wins EAS Student Spotlight Award

Valencia, 24 September 2025 | His research highlights mushroom meal as a sustainable and effective alternative feed ingredient for rainbow trout

Alice Gasperini, Carl John Saromines, Diogo Amaral |@misPecesAlice Gasperini, Carl John Saromines, Diogo Amaral |@misPeces

Carl John Saromines, a researcher at the Institut de Recerca i Tecnologia Agroalimentàries (IRTA), has been awarded the EAS Student Spotlight Award during Aquaculture Europe 2025, held this week in Valencia. His study, entitled “Mushroom meal as an alternative aquafeed ingredient: impact on growth performance and gut microbiome of rainbow trout”, focuses on the valorisation of mushroom industry by-products as a sustainable ingredient in rainbow trout feeds. The work was singled out among the finalists for its originality, applicability, and contribution to the future of European aquaculture.

The research addresses one of the sector’s pressing challenges: reducing dependence on fishmeal and soybean meal as primary protein sources, by identifying more sustainable and environmentally responsible alternatives. To this end, the team formulated experimental diets incorporating different levels of by-products from button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) and oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus), and tested them over an eight-week feeding trial with rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss).

Growth performance, feed conversion, nutrient retention, digestive and antioxidant enzyme activities, blood biochemistry, and disease resistance against Aeromonas salmonicida were assessed.

Results demonstrated that button mushroom by-products, particularly at lower inclusion levels, sustained growth and feed efficiency comparable to control diets, without compromising fish health or survival.

Conversely, oyster mushroom inclusion led to reduced growth performance, though it stimulated certain antioxidant responses. These findings confirm the potential of mushroom by-products, especially from A. bisporus, as a viable alternative protein source in aquafeeds, contributing to circular economy strategies within the industry.

The award ceremony was hosted by Silvia Natale, EAS Student Representative, who introduced the three finalists. Alongside Saromines’ winning work, Diogo Amaral (CIIMAR) was recognised for his study “Circular production of mealworm meal: Effects on bioactive properties and implications for rainbow trout immune and oxidative status”, while Alice Gasperini (Universidad Católica de Valencia) was a finalist with her research “Decoding biological ageing to enhance welfare in farmed sea bream: a transcriptional and epigenetic approach”.