Water Quality and Food Safety in Aquaponic Fish and Vegetable Production Systems

19 Pages·2013·1.94 MB·English

by  Miles Hakoda

Water Quality and Food Safety in
Aquaponic Fish and Vegetable
Production Systems

International Aquaponics Conference: Aquaponics and
Global Food Security, June 19th 2013

1Bradley ‘Kai’ Fox, 1Clyde S. Tamaru, 2James Hollyer, 3Luisa
Castro, 4Jorge M. Fonseca, 5Michele Jay-Russell, and
6Todd Low
1Department of Molecular Bioscience and Bioengineering, CTAHR
2Department of Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences, CTAHR
3Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management, CTAHR
University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa
4College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, University of Arizona
5Western Center for Food Safety, University of California, Davis
6Aquaculture Development Program, Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture
Introduction
• About me
– Aquaculture training
– CTAHR Assistant
Specialist
• About the talk
– Background
– Research
– Future

Challenges and Opportunities
‘
for Aquaponics in Hawai i
• Tropical climate, year-
round growing season
– Pests
• Outdoor: slugs (rat
lungworm infection),
mammals, birds
• Indoor: controlled-
environment
Certifying Food-Safe Aquaponic
Systems

• Initiated discussions
with 3rd party certifiers
– Challenges: GAPs CA-
focused
• Concerns
– River verses system
water
– Biofilters, fish manure,
fish food, etc.
• Lack of science-
based information
What is Food Safety?
• Preventing foodborne
illness
• Recognizing
responsibility
– Food safety is about
people
• Chemical, physical,
microbiological
• Focus:
microbiological
Foodborne Illness
• Human and economic
costs
– U.S.:~$77B annually
– Many factors involved
• Indicator microbes in
irrigation water
– Fecal contamination?
• E. coli: warm-blooded
origin
– Birds/mammals
(humans)
– Fish are cold-blooded
Symbiotic Relationships in an
Aquaponic System
• Aquaponics system water:
(excretes)
(NH )
3
– Irrigation
Fish Ammonia
– Fertilizer
(water returns)
• Uncomposted fish poop (manure) is
www.vedicsciences.
net
(Nitrosoma spp.)
purposefully and persistently present
Plant Nitrite (NO )
• Water remains below plants in con2 tact
with roots
(uptake) Nitrate
www. gopaultech.com
(NO )
(Nitrobacter spp.)
3
Challenges and Opportunities
• Food safety
certification
– Large vendors
• Third party certifiers
– Audits based on
industry and science
– “Auto-failure”
• Currently: USDA is
unwilling to support
food safety for
aquaponics
– Lack of scientific
information
Audit Criteria
• Questions weighted
differently
• Growers: >85%
• Example: raw manure