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The challenge of an essential and expanding market Hadrien Delemazure, Clextral
The most recent study from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO, 2020) confirms that 52% of the consumed aquatic animals in the world, including finfish, mollusks and crustaceans, come from aquaculture. With a world population of 7.8 billion people, the average fish consumption, including mollusks and crustaceans, was estimated in 2018 to be 20.1 kg/inhabitants. The process of feed manufacturing for finfish and shrimp represents a key issue for ensuring the delivery of consistently high-quality granulates for these intensive breeding processes; for example, it is estimated that over 60% of the production expenses for farmed salmon come from the feed cost. Additionally, we have to face challenges, such as limited resources of fishmeal and fish oils worldwide and a temperature increase in the earth’s environment creating irregular conditions for fish capture, uncertain cereal and pulse harvests on earth (used more and more to partially replace fishmeal in recipes), and the risks to delicate offshore aquaculture breeding facilities (waves, winds, storms, currents, pollution, etc.).
The potential of twin-screw extrusion Fish is known as a high-value food for humans, with health benefits that include long-chain unsaturated fatty acids, vitamins and minerals and a well-
balanced protein supply. In 2017, fish supplied 17% of animal protein in the world. Moreover, 3.3 billion people received 20% of their animal protein from fish origin. Therefore, fish feed processing technology plays a particularly important role in this industry. It requires: • Easy adaptation to any change in raw-material composition: moisture content, lipid content, particle size distribution. These are due to various sources of raw materials (for example, soy flour can be purchased in many parts of the world), transport and storage conditions, and the grinding process. • Flexibility to adjust the sinking/floating properties of the granulates to follow as closely as possible the food habits of each animal family. • Processing a wide range of recipes to respond to industry demand for foods with low or high amounts of lipids, vegetable proteins, or various sources of protein to meet the specific nutritional fish requests and adapt to rapid environmental changes. • Flexibility to adjust the shear, cooking and shaping conditions in the extruder and apply precise drying and coating parameters during the entire production process. • Ensuring a high hygienic standard, to avoid any contamination during the feed manufacturing process.
Aquafeed: Advances in Processing & Formulation Vol 14 Issue 2 2022
