04/08/2014: Insects in our food chain

Insects are part of the traditional diets of approximately two billion people worldwide. Insects can contribute to food security and be a part of the solution to protein shortages, given their high nutritional value, low emissions of greenhouse gases, low requirements for land and water and the high efficiency at which they can convert feed into food. 

This article outlines the potential of insects as a food for humans as well as a feedstock for animals and fish. 

The majority of insects consumed in developing countries today are harvested in nature from wild populations. In Western countries, the disgust factor in considering insects as food, combined currently with their limited availability on the market, and a lack of regulations governing insects as food and feed, are major barriers for their further expansion. 

However, the biggest opportunity may well lie in the production of insect biomass as feedstock for animals and fish, to partly replace the increasingly expensive protein ingredients of compound feeds in the livestock industries. 

Considering the immense quantities of insect biomass needed to replace current protein-rich ingredients such as meal from fish and soybeans, automated mass rearing facilities need to be developed. 

For this to occur, significant technological innovations, changes in consumer food preferences, insect-encompassing food and feed legislation, and progress towards more sustainable food production systems are needed. The close collaboration of government, food and feed industry, media, chefs, and academia will be essential for success.

Read more HERE. 

The Aquaculturists
This blog is maintained by The Aquaculturists staff and is supported by the
magazine International Aquafeed which is published by Perendale Publishers Ltd

For additional daily news from aquaculture around the world: aquacutlure-news

04/08/2014: Fish, Omega 3 and aggression

So what could explain this correlation between lack of fish oils and aggression? 

Well, fish oils contain the omega-3 fatty acids known as DHA and EPA, which are essential for optimal brain function. Indeed, DHA is the most abundant fatty acid in the brain, with high concentrations in areas critical to communication between neurons. 

But the human body can't manufacture enough of these fatty acids. So we need to feed our brain through our diet. The original source isn't actually fish. It's marine micro algae and seaweed. These travel up the food chain and become highly concentrated in oily, cold water fish, like salmon, mackerel and tuna. 

The omega-3 helps their cell membranes to function at cold temperatures and the benefits get passed on to us. 

Read more HERE. 

The Aquaculturists
This blog is maintained by The Aquaculturists staff and is supported by the
magazine International Aquafeed which is published by Perendale Publishers Ltd

For additional daily news from aquaculture around the world: aquacutlure-news

04/08/2014: Seeking the fishing industry's 'holy grail'

Scientists in this laboratory are trying to grasp what they call the holy grail of aquaculture: raising this powerful fish, so prized by sushi lovers, entirely in captivity. But the effort is fraught with challenges.

Read more HERE.

The Aquaculturists
This blog is maintained by The Aquaculturists staff and is supported by the
magazine International Aquafeed which is published by Perendale Publishers Ltd

For additional daily news from aquaculture around the world: aquacutlure-news

04/08/2014: Effect of salinity on the performance and body composition of Pacific white shrimp juveniles

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of salinity on the culture water quality, performance and body composition of Litopenaeus vannamei juveniles reared in a super-intensive system without water exchange. 

The proximate composition of the juveniles was analyzed through the moisture, protein, lipid and ash contents. The physical and chemical parameters of the water were influenced by the treatments. The increased salinity produced a significant increase in the alkalinity and the concentrations of total suspended solids, nitrite and phosphate. 

Of the parameters that were examined to evaluate the performance and proximate composition of the shrimp, only survival, protein retention rate and body lipid content were significantly influenced. 

The analysis of the proximate composition of the bioflocs showed that the moisture, protein and lipid contents increased as the salinity decreased. Growth, use of feed and survival of L. vannamei juveniles reared in a super-intensive system without water exchange is positively influenced by an increase of salinity from 4 to 32 percent.

Read more HERE. 

The Aquaculturists
This blog is maintained by The Aquaculturists staff and is supported by the
magazine International Aquafeed which is published by Perendale Publishers Ltd

For additional daily news from aquaculture around the world: aquacutlure-news

04/08/2014: Biorigin brings health solutions from Brazilian sugar fields to the global salmon industry

An Industry profile from International Aquafeed magazine 
by Odd Elvebo, Technical Sales Manager – Aquaculture, Norway

Biorigin is a Brazilian company which has developed knowledge and technology to produce a wide range of yeast based products for both the food and feed industry. Biorigin produces natural ingredients as immune modulators, prebiotics and nutritional products for feed as well as additives for flavour enhancement, sodium reduction, shelf life extension in the food market.

Biorigin is a business unit of Zilor, a company with more than 65 years of experience and one of the largest Brazilian producers of ethanol, sugar and electricity from sugar cane.

Biorigin was created in 2003, with a structure completely dedicated to the development of innovative solutions based on yeasts and yeast derivatives. 

The company invests approximately eight percent of its annual revenues in technology, innovation and R&D projects. In 2008 Biorigin acquired the companies PTX Food Corp in The United States and Immunocorp Animal Health, in Norway; expanding and strengthening its international presence. Immunocorp Animal Health was the pioneer in the area of glucan mediated immune modulation. MacroGard® is now part of Biorigin’s portfolio, serving the needs of aqua, livestock and petfood markets. Under Biorigin ownership, Immunocorp’s sales and technical knowledge continued to evolve with a strong focus in Norway, the key market for the salmon industry. 

Biorigin portfolio products offers a wide range of yeasts and derivatives products developed from specially-selected yeast strains, according to its exclusive biotechnological and controlled processes. The products are beta 1,3/1,6 Glucans, mannan-proteins, oligosaccharides, nucleotides and natural sources of nutrients as proteins, amino acids and vitamins.

Biorigin strategy
Farmed animals are presented daily with stressors such as high stock density, environmental changes, handling and pathogenic challenges. These stressor agents have consequences for animals’ performance, immune system, overall health status and growth. Biorigin provides a wide range of natural and environmentally friendly and specialized feed materials that enhance the animal immune system, act as prebiotic, agglutinate bacteria and mycotoxines, add nutrients and enhance flavours of diets.

An improved health status leads to other benefits such as better protection against pathogens and parasites, improved nutrient uptake, better growth and survival.

Leading brand MacroGard® has been used worldwide for more than 20 years in feed for aquaculture of fish and shellfish as well as swine, poultry, cattle and companion animals.

Odd Elvebo, Technical Sales Manager
– Aquaculture, Norway

MacroGard® and Immune modulation through Beta-Glucan Action
MacroGard® is a purified form of beta-1,3/1,6-glucan, a cell wall component of bakers’ yeast. Beta-glucans are natural and harmless, yet as they are biologically foreign to animals, they initiate an immune response upon consumption. More specifically, they heighten the activity of the white blood cells of the innate branch of the immune system. This strengthens the immune system against pathogenic infections; enabling quicker and more efficient clearing and better evasion of subsequent infections.

The innate immune system is ancient and has been highly conserved throughout evolution. This explains how the effects of MacroGard® can be seen throughout the animal kingdom. Biorigin uses advanced biotechnology to ensure the purity and activity of its beta-glucan products.

Research
MacroGard® has been and is still studying within the field and laboratory. The wide-ranging effects are well documented and published. Biorigin is not involved just in the aquaculture of Atlantic salmon but also in other marine and fresh water species, carrying out research and collaborating with other institutions in order to investigate the applicability of MacroGard® on global fish production. Biorigin invests a lot in R&D and uses a significant portion in the aquaculture sector, together with collaborating institutions and feed producers.

The aqua-feed industry has pioneered the development of products that enhance the ability of farm animals to resist infections and disease, and of speciality feeds that are designed to reduce production losses during critical phases of the animals’ life cycle. Within the entire animal feed industry, there is an increasing emphasis on enabling animals to improve their own ability to resist infections, rather than relying on pharmaceuticals.

The development of this new way of thinking and implementation; made somewhat easier because of the known chemical nature of this product and well-described mode of action, not only in fish, but from the simplest of invertebrates to humans.

Several global feed companies within the aquaculture industry have implemented this more natural concept in their diets, and these parties have also contributed to the development and documentation of beta-glucans efficacy. Basic research on beta-1,3/1,6-glucans is, today, deeply rooted in modern medical science, whilst their practical use, and those of other immune-stimulating substances, dates back to ancient medicine.

Biorigin’s investments for the future

As a consequence of the increasing demand not only for MacroGard®, Biorigin will start the expansion of its unit located in Quatá, Brazil. The aim is to double  production capacity of yeast extracts, thereby increasing   the production capacity of yeast cell wall products beta 1,3/1,6 glucans, MOS, as well as other products like organic selenium yeast (Selemax), autolysed yeasts (Hicell), and new products that are close to launch as the new generation of MacroGard.

With investments of around U$120 million an expected start date of June 2013, the expansion plan includes the Fermentation, Pure Culture, Autolysis, and Drying sectors, with production increases expected by the end of 2014.

Biorigin has a unique setup, where the main raw material and utilities are produced in a sustainable manner and with full control of the entire production chain, which allows full traceability of the ingredients applied.

The Aquaculturists
This blog is maintained by The Aquaculturists staff and is supported by the
magazine International Aquafeed which is published by Perendale Publishers Ltd

For additional daily news from aquaculture around the world: aquacutlure-news

01/08/2014: Kids state dinner at White House

It's not easy to snag an invite to a White House State Dinner.

So, imagine how 54 children — one from each state, US territory and the District of Columbia — felt being honored in the elegant East Room by the President and first lady at an event Friday afternoon billed as a 'Kids State Dinner'.

The pee-wee honorees were the winners of the Healthy Lunchtime Challenge, a nationwide recipe contest for kids tied to the First Lady's 'Let's Move Campaign'. The event was co-sponsored by the food site Epicurious.

There were more than 1500 kids that submitted their recipes for this year’s challenge and it was not easy to choose just one winner from each state, so this was a competitive experience.  

Check and see how many were seafood meals!

President Obama confirms he and daughter, Sasha, are lovers of Sushi ... 

Read more HERE.

The Aquaculturists
This blog is maintained by The Aquaculturists staff and is supported by the
magazine International Aquafeed which is published by Perendale Publishers Ltd

For additional daily news from aquaculture around the world: aquacutlure-news

01/08/2014: VIDEO - Huon launches revolutionary feed barge

Huon (based in Tasmania) are introducing a series of new feed barges which they believe will make farms more efficient while reducing environmental impact.

The new feed systems are becoming recognised as the most innovative feed delivery and management system anywhere in the world with benefits including:

Reduced noise from reduced feed-boat traffic
The installation of the new feed barge system is expected to halve the current amount of feed boat traffic. Pens can also be moved further away from shore, representing a significant reduction in feed boat traffic noise.

More Efficient Feeding
The barges can be filled in a one trip, from a large vessel and will hold at least a week's worth of food. All the machinery to measure and transport the food out to the fish is kept in a stable, dry space below deck rather than exposed to the elements.

Improved safety for workers
The new barge system provides a safer work environment and allows workers to focus on feeding the fish rather than maintaining the feed hoppers. The more robust technology of the new feed system means that there is less physical impact on workers (less strenuous work) and that the skill and experience of older workers can be retained in feed roles.

Read more HERE.


To see more about the barges, take a look at the video below.

The Aquaculturists
This blog is maintained by The Aquaculturists staff and is supported by the
magazine International Aquafeed which is published by Perendale Publishers Ltd

For additional daily news from aquaculture around the world: aquacutlure-news

01/08/2014: New and emerging fish species for expansion of the European aquaculture industry

The largest scale research project undertaken by the European Commission is currently in development and aims to enhance European aquaculture production by removing bottlenecks in the production process associated with emerging species, creating new products and accessing potential markets.
The Diversify project, co-funded by the 7th Framework Programme of the European Commission and had its kickoff meeting at the Hellenic Center for Marine Research in Greece in January 2014.

Coordinated by Dr Constantinos C Mylonas of the Institute of Marine Biology, Biotechnology and Aquaculture, a total of 38 partners from Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Israel, Belgium, The Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, United Kingdom, Germany and Hungary have participated in this five-year-long research.

The Netherlands is represented by Wageningen University’s DLO, The National Institute for Fisheries Studies and the Technical University of Eindhoven.

Diversify has identified a number of emerging finfish species, with a great potential for expanding the EU aquaculture industry. The fish species to be studied include meagre (Argyrosomus regius), greater amberjack (Seriola dumerili), wreckfish (Polyprion americanus), Atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus), grey mullet (Mugil cephalus) and pikeperch (Sander lucioperca).

These species -- selected based both on their biological and economical potential - can be marketed at a large size and processed into a range of products to provide the consumer with both a greater diversity of fish species and new value-added products.

In the framework of the project, research will be carried out in the scientific disciplines of Reproduction and Genetics, Nutrition, Larval and Grow out husbandry, Fish health, Final product quality and Socioeconomics.

The socio-economic research in Diversify includes an applied market development approach, on perception of aquaculture products, market demand, buyer preferences, new product development, value adding and developing test markets.

The universities in the Netherlands will be responsible for these activities, of which the outcomes will help the EU aquaculture sector and the supply industry in targeted marketing and improvement of its international competitive position.

At present, the Eindhoven University of Technology is looking for international buyers in retail and foodservice industries to interview concerning buying preferences and other possible opportunities.

The Aquaculturists
This blog is maintained by The Aquaculturists staff and is supported by the
magazine International Aquafeed which is published by Perendale Publishers Ltd

For additional daily news from aquaculture around the world: aquacutlure-news

01/08/2014: Deep-sea cameras reveal commercial fisheries having little impact on seafloor

The Australia Antarctic Division has developed a new system of deep sea cameras to explore the impact of commercial fishing on biodiversity.

 

Pristine seafloor after 16 years of commercial fishing

They spent eight years studying the seafloor in the Heard Island and McDonald Island Marine Reserve in the Antarctic waters of the Southern Ocean, south-west of Australia.

Scientists found it in an almost completely pristine condition.

The cameras show 98 percent of sensitive seafloor biodiversity remains pristine after 16 years of commercial fishing.

Read more HERE.

The Aquaculturists
This blog is maintained by The Aquaculturists staff and is supported by the
magazine International Aquafeed which is published by Perendale Publishers Ltd

For additional daily news from aquaculture around the world: aquacutlure-news

1/08/2014: Australian pearl company charged with workplace death after a two year delay faces only a fine

A Western Australian pearl company has been charged by Worksafe WA with one count of failing to provide and maintain a safe working environment, two years after the death of one of its divers.

The family-owned company, Paspaley Pearling, has been criminally charged by Worksafe WA for the workplace death and faces a maximum penalty of Aus$200,000 under the Occupational Safety and Health Act.

Twenty-two-year-old Jarrod Hampton drowned on his second day working for Paspaley Pearling as a drift diver off Western Australia's Kimberley coast in April 2012.

Mr Hampton was collecting shells from the sea bed while being towed underwater, but made an emergency ascent to the surface on April 14. Crew members attempted to help him, but he died at the scene. An investigation found his death was consistent with drowning.

The Darwin-based company was charged by Worksafe WA yesterday and the case is expected to be heard in the Broome Magistrates Court later this year. Criticism has been leveled for the delay in the investigation and for the lack of harder hitting legislation.

Read more HERE.

The Aquaculturists
This blog is maintained by The Aquaculturists staff and is supported by the
magazine International Aquafeed which is published by Perendale Publishers Ltd

For additional daily news from aquaculture around the world: aquacutlure-news