Speaker

About the speaker: 

Mauricio Castillo is the Founder and CEO of Blue Pond Group, a biotechnology company specializing in sustainable solutions for aquaculture, agriculture and animal nutrition. With over 25 years of experience in agriculture innovation and business, Mauricio combines hands-on farming experience with expertise in animal production and biotechnology.  He has worked directly with farmers and livestock producers, developing function-based ingredients and technologies to improve health, performance and environmental sustainability across crop, livestock and aquaculture systems.

Company info:

Blue Pond Group is a marine-biotech company dedicated to advancing natural, science-based solutions for aquaculture, agriculture and animal production. The company leverages seaweed-derived bioactives — notably sulfated polysaccharides — isolated through advanced extraction techniques, to offer farmers and producers opportunities to reduce reliance on antibiotics and chemical inputs. 

Presentation:

Mauricio Castillo will introduce how sulfated polysaccharides — natural functional molecules derived from seaweeds — can act as effective alternatives to antibiotics in animal production and aquaculture. He will share both scientific insights and on-farm field trial data showing how these compounds boost immunity, improve gut health and enhance disease resistance in shrimp, fish and livestock. The talk will illustrate how this novel approach enables more sustainable, antibiotic-free production systems.