10 minute read
Latest developments in aquafeed
Aquafeed alternatives
Feed
BY ROBERT OUTRAM
GRASS�FED meat may be the gold standard in terrestrial farming, but grass hasn’t been seen as a feed ingredient in aquaculture. That might be an oversight, however.
In its search for new fi sh feed ingredients, Aller Aqua is tes� ng “green protein” from BioRefi ne, a company based in Janderup, Denmark. The material is an organic protein concentrate made of grass harvested from 3,000 hectares of land in Denmark. Out of this, BioRefi ne produces 7,000 tonnes of green protein concentrate suitable for animal nutri� on per year.
The green and organic protein concentrate has a similar nutrient profi le to soybean meal and therefore has the poten� al to play a part in Aller Aqua’s fi sh feed. By way of comparison, Denmark imports around 50,000 tonnes of organic soy annually.
BioRefi ne has been launched by three agricultural companies – DLG, Danish Agro and DLF – with the inten� on to create a climate- and environment-effi cient alterna� ve protein source for animal feed.
The func� onality of BioRefi ne’s green protein in fi sh feed will be evaluated in feeding trials conducted at Aller Aqua Research, Aller Aqua’s trial sta� on located in Büsum, Germany. In nutrient diges� bility and growth trials, the green protein will be tested in feed for rainbow trout, the main fi sh species in Danish aquaculture. Grass protein could be a valuable raw material for reducing the carbon-footprint of fi sh feed in Denmark.
Dr Hanno Slawski, Group Research and Development Director at Aller Aqua, says: “New raw materials are seldom found. And here we have an en� rely new and locally produced raw material. It is a perfect match for us because this is the kind of raw material we are searching
Above: The Skre� ng and eniferBio teams – from le� : Heikki Keskitalo, Ana Ward, Gunvor Baardsen, Me� e Me� e Lütcherath, Joost Ma� hijssen, Erik Tveteraas and Joosu Kuivanen Left: Grass
for. We are looking very much forward to be the fi rst company tes� ng – and possibly eventually including – this raw material in our feed.”
In November last year, eniferBio, the Finnish biotech startup and winner of the 2020 Nutreco Feed & Food Tech Challenge, visited Nutreco’s aquaculture division, Skre� ng, in Stavanger to discuss the results of the fi rst stage of valida� on of their PEKILO® mycoprotein.
Hatcheries Around the World Rely on Reed Mariculture Feeds
Our Instant Algae® and Instant Zooplankton® are the most convenient and effective phototropic marine microalgae feeds for growth, enrichment and greenwater productivity. They are used by over 500 hatcheries, universities, and marine ornamental operations in more than 90 countries around the world.
LEARN MORE: ReedMaricuture.com
Ini� al indica� ons are promising, Skre� ng says, Ini� al indica� ons are promising, Skre� ng says, with the novel protein showing diges� bility results comparable to fi sh meal.
Joost Ma� hijssen, Director of Venturing at Nutreco’s breakthrough investment arm, NuFron� ers, said following the visit: “I’m proud to see that we are one step closer to bringing a new raw material to the aquaculture industry. For aquaculture to be able to grow, we absolutely need new and sustainable protein raw materials that can be produced in large volumes.”
PEKILO® mycoprotein, Skre� ng says, off ers exci� ng poten� al as a sustainable, locally produced alterna� ve for soy protein concentrate.
Gunvor Baardsen, Manager, Quality and Ingredients, at Skre� ng Aquaculture Research Centre, says: “One of the fi rst steps when evalua� ng new raw materials is to run a diges� bility trial in fi sh. In this case, we tested PEKILO® in Atlan� c salmon and the protein diges� bility coeffi cient was comparable to what we see in fi sh meal. More steps are to be taken before we can start using it at scale, but it is encouraging
Top: Alltech Coppens ACAC turbidity Above: Alltech CoppensGuelph system
to see posi� ve results from a new protein raw material coming our way.”
It should be noted, however, that while IFFO, the organisa� on represen� ng marine ingredients producers, accepts that alterna� ve sources of protein can help relieve the pressure on the wild fi sh stocks that are currently a key source of fi sh and animal feed, it has expressed scep� cism over whether “zero fi shmeal” will ever be a prac� cal goal.
The latest fi gures from IFFO show that total cumula� ve produc� ons of the countries considered in IFFO’s reports during the fi rst 10 months of 2021 were higher year on year, with fi shmeal up by 5% and fi sh oil up by 8%.
In terms of fi shmeal, the increase was down to three countries – Peru, Chile and India – which reported a higher cumula� ve produc� on in 2021 with respect to the same period in 2020.
Similarly, in terms of fi sh oil, Peru, Chile and India are also the regions that so far have increased their cumula� ve produc� on during the fi rst 10 months of 2021.
Worldwide aquafeed output, specifi cally, rose year on year for October 2021, IFFO says, with the increase in output accompanied by price increases in aquafeed.
Research facility expands
In September last year, Alltech Coppens formally opened its expanded world-class research facility. The diges� bility research facility of the Alltech Coppens Aqua Centre has been increased by 50%.
In total, the ACAC now contains seven diff erent systems concentra� ng on diff erent areas from nutri� on requirements to diges� bility, palatability, performance and impact on water quality, all focusing on recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) produc� on.
Philip Lyons, Global Manager, Aquaculture Research, at Alltech Coppens, explains: “We are looking at more fi sh species so, for example, the new systems can collect faeces from a broader range of fi sh, and we can assess diges� bility and growth factors at the same � me.
“We see that demand is going to go up. Take ca� ish, for example – this market is growing all the � me in Africa.”
Ben Lamberigts, Manager, Quality, Research and Nutri� on, says: “Aquafeed is 20 years behind feed for land animals such as pigs and poultry. Also, our industry is becoming much more client-specifi c – or, rather, system-specifi c. That is something we’ve already seen in poultry, for example.”
He adds: “We have not yet gone as far as we can – for example, in fi nding alterna� ve protein sources [other than fi shmeal and fi sh oil].
“For example, EPA-DHA long-chain fa� y acids, which the fi sh need and are part of their diet in the wild, represent ‘low-hanging fruit’. There are two essen� al fa� y acids the fi sh need and they can be provided by algae-based feed.”
Of course, at the present � me that entails a cost. The ques� on is whether farmers are prepared to pay it in order to help the cause of sustainability and preserve stocks of wild fi sh.
Philip Lyons says: “Replacing fi sh meal is an old story – we know that we can do it and it’s been done for a long � me.”
Species of growing interest for Alltech Coppens include perch and saibling, which is a salmonid species closely related to Arc� c char (Salvelinus alpinus) and appears to be more resistant to viral hemorrhagic sep� caemia (VHS).
Trout and ca� ish represent big markets for Alltech Coppens, as well as eel and ornamental fi sh, such as koi carp. The company is also beginning to get involved with developing feed for � lapia in collabora� on with its sister company, Alltech Guabi, in Brazil.
Feed supplement specialist Adisseo is also involved in research into the future of aquafeed. The second edi� on of the company’s Aqu@ Event by Adisseo took place on 23 November combining an online www.fishfarmermagazine.com
webinar and booth pla� orm.
Under the theme “The New Blue is Green”, fi ve experts shared their insights on the use of novel technologies to improve the sustainability and climate resilience of aquaculture. Topics ranged from insect protein to the signifi cance of the microbiome and gut health for shrimp producers.
Bjorn Kok of Blonk Consultants explained how sustainability can be quan� fi ed in aquaculture, illustrated with cases showing the poten� al of Adisseo’s speciality feed addi� ves to mi� gate the environmental impact from aquaculture.
Dr Peter Cou� eau, BU Director Aquaculture at Adisseo, said: “Addi� ves can signifi cantly reduce the environmental impact and carbon footprint of aquaculture through mul� ple ways, including reformula� on using more sustainable ingredients, enhancing feed intake and diges� ve/metabolic effi ciency, or simply improving survival thanks to a be� er health status of your fi sh or shrimp.”
Feeding control systems
Fish farmers are increasingly recognising the need for precision and control in feeding. This is even more true of land-based RAS produc� on.
Arvo-Tec, based in Joroinen, Finland, off ers an integrated feeding control system that includes water quality monitoring, data logging and alarm func� ons.
The control system monitors water temperature and oxygen levels, while making use of a mathema� cal/biological energy demand model to calculate the right amount of feed for each dosing unit in real � me based on the size and species of fi sh.
More precise monitoring and control means less waste, which is not only good for the bo� om line, but also promotes fi sh welfare by preserving water quality.
The team at California-based Reed Mariculture describe themselves as “the plankton people”.
Reed provides specialist feeds for a range of uses such as fi sh hatcheries for aquaculture and hobbyists, shrimp hatcheries and bivalve molluscs. This includes ‘instant algae’ for bivalve molluscs, live zooplankton for fi sh and shrimp feed, and otohime pellet feeds.
The latest addi� on to its range is ARPods™ 500, a highly eff ec� ve live copepod and artemia replacement. They are frozen biomass of intact cyclops copepods – fresh frozen at sea for maximum nutri� on and gamma irradiated for maximum biosecurity.
Finally, it’s important not to forget some of the species we don’t eat, but which are s� ll important in aquaculture. Farmers using cleaner fi sh to help control sea lice need to be aware of their nutri� onal needs.
World Feeds’ complete, balanced Vita Aqua Feeds feed block diets are tailored to wrasse and lumpfi sh. The large feed blocks can be stored in a cool, dry place – requiring no refrigera� on – and have a two-year shelf life.
The feed blocks require no mixing or prepara� on and can simply be loaded onto the bespoke manual line deployment feeding sta� on in situ at the side of the pen, directly out of the pack. FF
Top left: Reed Mariculture ARPods Above: World Feed Vita Aqua Feed block Left: Farmed shrimp
