Transfer the salmon success story to shrimp Current salmon diet (2014)
Traditional salmon diet (2007)
Future salmon diet (medium term) Fishmeal
Other
Fishmeal
35%
Other
15%
40% 74% 25%
Fishmeal
Other
5%
Fish oil
10%
Fish oil 5% 5%
84%
Amino acids > 1% Omega-3 oil from algae > 5%
Amino acids < 1% Fish oil
The salmon industry will finally become a net fish producer: of methionine: covering amino acids with a suitable coating, Particularly in aquaculture, this sets in motion a downward out < 1 them in a matrix or using chemical derivatisation. spiraling process: The additional nitrogen burden leads fish to in : fishembedding Evonik closely investigated all three options, yet it became clear eutrophication in bodies of water, promotes algal growth and (today: net fish consumer!) that neither coating nor the matrix could withstand the rough offers the perfect breeding ground for germs. These can make mechanical and physical conditions of food pelleting and extrusion. animals sick, thereby decreasing their ability to convert the feed. With the given framework conditions—acceptable production When feed conversion declines, even more nitrogen compounds costs, low water-solubility and high bioavailability thanks to are emitted into the water. a retarded-release function—more than 30 different chemical methionine derivatives were selected. Chemists synthesized each A burden on marine resources of them and carried out large numbers of in-vitro studies. Using To achieve the desired growth, fish farmers in more enzymes isolated from the hepatopancreas of the Pacific white conventional shrimp aquaculture respond to these issues by shrimp and black tiger shrimp, they tested the effectiveness of the feeding their animals a protein-rich diet. In this type of feeding derivatives as a methionine source for shrimp. concept, one kilogram of shrimp requires around 1.6 kilograms of feed. In such conventional diets for fish and crustaceans, the protein and fat components in the feed are made up of fishmeal AQUAVI®Met-Met for sustainability and fish oil. Today, some three quarters of all the world’s fishmeal Evonik chemists eventually hit the bull’s eye: Met-Met is the production is used for aquaculture. This creates a huge burden on name of the now-patented solution which has been launched on marine resources, even though the original goal of aquaculture the market this summer under the name AQUAVI®Met-Met. The was to relieve them. dipeptide of DL-methionine, Met-Met is just barely water-soluble For this reason, modern feeding concepts aim to cover part and does not get washed out of the feed as quickly. In fact it is of the protein requirement with plant-based ingredients such as eight times less water soluble than DL-methionine. rapeseed or soymeal. But these components have their limits: It consists of four distinct molecules called isomers. The The amino acid profile of plants does not meet the needs of enzymes in the crustacean’s gut are able to cleave all four animals—it is typically lacking in lysine, methionine or threonine. isomers, yet at different speeds, resulting in a sustained release of This amino acid is the first-limiting one for the growth of fish and methionine. crustaceans is species-dependent. To produce Met-Met, Evonik had to develop a completely new synthesis process, one which is conducted entirely without solvents in aqueous solutions and in closed loops. The product Added amino acids is manufactured in Antwerp (Belgium) in direct vicinity to their A more sustainable solution involves replacing large amounts existing methionine production facility and then shipped from of fish meal with plant protein sources and complementing the the port of Antwerp to the main markets in Asia and Central and feed with the amino acids methionine, lysine and threonine— South America. Due to its modular design, depending on the species in question. Since the plant is capable to respond quickly to 2005, Evonik has been intensively market demand. focusing on the topic of aquaculture—in Feeding trials carried out in close cooperation with universities and collaboration with universities proved that the world’s top salmon producers in with only about half the active ingredients, Norway. the use of AQUAVI®Met-Met in shrimp Together, they have been investigating achieves the same weight gain in the the pressing questions in the field. Their animal. This results in lower feed bills, and unwavering focus is on the animal: What room is left over in the pellets for further are the animal’s precise needs in each important substances. growth phase and how can its diet be Most importantly, however, the aqua made as sustainable as possible? One farmer can be sure that the methionine thing is clear: The price of fish feed contained in the feed is fully absorbed and cannot go up. In light of the world’s converted by the shrimp. This lowers nitrogen growing population, fish must remain an emissions in the water from washed-out or affordable commodity. unused methionine in shrimp excretions, thereby contributing to the prevention of Towards a solution eutrophication; an important step towards Three methods exist for changing more sustainable aquaculture. the water-solubility and bioavailability June 21, 2016 | R&D Press Briefing | How we turn salmon, shrimp, and other marine animals into vegetarians
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