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Apr 13, 2017

Single cell protein could be used for aquafeed

A new study has for the first time revealed that a particular single cell protein could replace wild-caught fish and agricultural crops as a key ingredient in aquaculture feeds, potentially providing a lower cost and sustainable alternative protein source. The researchers in charge of the analysis looked at the efficacy of KnipBio Meal as feed for three important aquaculture species: white shrimp, Atlantic salmon, and smallmouth grunts and found that all three species experienced similar or better growth and survival rates when fed a diet containing this specific feedl when compared to fish given a diet of conventional commercial feed. From KnipBio, it has been pointed out that half of the fish that humans eat are farmed, and many of these fish require a high-protein diet. Traditionally, aquaculture feeds contain approximately 30 per cent fish caught in the wild and ground up into fishmeal. More recently, in an effort to ease pressure on declining ocean fish stocks, aquaculturists have turned to protein-rich plant crops such as soybeans as replacements for fishmeal. The challenge is a soy-rich can lead to gut inflammation in many farmed species, resulting in lower growth and survival rates. Considering these data, the scientists developing the study decided to test whether a diet consisting of between 30 per cent and 100 per cent pelleted bacterium Methylobacterium extorquens could serve as a suitable diet for fish and shrimp. Read the article.