The Croatian Veterinary Institute is a public institution and the leading scientific-research and diagnostic-analytical institution for veterinary public health in Croatia. Its work covers the monitoring of pesticide residues, mycotoxins, heavy metals, veterinary medicinal product residues and other contaminants in animal feed and foodstuffs of animal origin, aimed at protecting consumer health. The Institute harmonises its laboratory methods with international standards (WOAH, WHO, FAO, AOAC), participates in inter-laboratory testing for feed and food analytics, and holds accreditation for over 250 methods under HRN EN ISO/IEC 17025:2017. Its modern analytical infrastructure makes it well suited to lead the mycotoxin occurrence assessment and standardized analytical methods within the consortium.
mycotoxins, aquaculture, aquafeed safety, Mediterranean fish, feed formulation, mitigation, biocontrol, emerging mycotoxins, food safety, climate change
This initiative addresses mycotoxin contamination in Mediterranean aquafeeds, driven by climate change and the shift toward plant-based feed ingredients. Led on the analytical side by the Croatian Veterinary Institute (WP1: standardized methods and a survey of mycotoxins in Mediterranean aquafeeds), the consortium spans EU partners (Croatia, Greece, Italy) and Mediterranean Partner Countries (Egypt, Tunisia), covering feeding trials, safer feed formulation and mitigation, emerging-mycotoxin toxicology, and bio-based detoxification. We are looking for: (1) an aquafeed industry partner / SME to strengthen the innovation and market-uptake dimension of this Innovation Action and to co-validate mitigation in commercial settings; and (2) additional Mediterranean Partner-Country institutions with aquaculture, feed-technology or food-safety expertise.
