We have a large, modern instrument park and the laboratory covers a total area of more than 1000m2 divided between three separate laboratories.
The laboratory features many special rooms that have been specially adapted for the laboratory's activities.
The laboratory is run by a highly qualified team offering a high degree of flexibility. This is a necessity in a demanding and changing market covering a broad and varying range of activities.
Areas of work and tasks
Biotechnology
Our use of biotechnological instruments is comprehensive. OECD defines biotechnology as:
"The application of science and technology to living organisms, as well as parts, products and models thereof, to alter living or non-living materials for the production of knowledge, goods and services."
We use biotechnology applications and tools within the fields of fish health, marine bioprospecting, breeding and genetics, industrial biotechnology and process and product development.
These applications and tools comprise specialist instruments and competence in areas including genomics (e.g. PCR, DNA sequencing and RealTime PCR), proteomics (e.g. chromatography, 2D electrophoresis and recombinant gene expression) metabolomics (e.g. LC-MS and free-flow electrophoresis) and process biotechnology (e.g. pilot process laboratory).
View list for details of infrastructure and equipment below.
Cell cultures
Experiments involving cell cultures are an important alternative and supplement to experiments on living fish. Above all, this is a cost-effective alternative.
Cell cultures are cells that may be cultivated under controlled conditions in the laboratory and uses include the propagation of viruses and the detection of viruses in tissue from sick fish.
It also provides us with the opportunity to study the functional significance of individual components in the immune systems of the fish at cell level.
We work routinely with primary cell cultures from fish, but also with established cell lines from both fish and humans. Primary cell cultures have a limited lifespan, while established cell lines have an unlimited lifespan.
We have also developed and established a cod cell line, which offers us unique opportunities in the continuing work with both farmed cod and wild cod.
The cell cultures are cultivated under thorough monitoring in incubators with high precision regulation of temperature and atmosphere (CO2 level).
Quality
Another major activity is work involving charting of quality and measures that provide quality improvements in fish and fish products. We carry out analyses of fat, protein, ash and water in feeds and fish as a matter of standard procedure.
Metal analyses using atomic absorption spectrometry is a method in which trace metals are determined.
We also have dedicated laboratories for texture analysis and sensory science.
Further description
