Fly larvae to feed salmonoids
O
Ioannis Zabetakis
Sea pollution and food safety
n the 13th February, The Guardian (UK) reported [1] that scientists have discovered “extraordinary” levels of toxic pollution in the most remote and inaccessible place on the planet – the 10km deep Mariana trench in the Pacific Ocean. The story is rather alarming! Crustaceans, captured by a robotic submarine, were found contaminated with 50 times more toxic chemicals than crabs that survive in heavily polluted rivers in China! The extraordinary levels of these pollutants and the cross-contamination of the food chain brings home the long-term and rather devastating impact that mankind is having on the planet and on the food-chain. Two key types of severely toxic industrial chemicals that were banned in the late 1970s were identified, they do not break down in the environment and they are known as persistent organic pollutants (POPs). These chemicals have previously been found at high levels in Inuit people in the Canadian Arctic and in Orcas and dolphins in Western Europe. The POPs infiltrate the deepest parts of the oceans as dead animals and particles of plastic fall downwards and they can accumulate in fat tissue. In this way, POPs are bio-accumulated in living organisms and their levels are magnified in animals, all whilst we’re moving up the food chain. This phenomenon is called bio-magnification and it is closely related to man-made chemicals that have a very long degradation period in nature [2]. The level of one type of POP, called polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), was only equalled anywhere in the northwest Pacific in Suruga Bay in Japan, an infamous pollution black spot. The researchers also found severe contamination in amphipods collected in the Kermadec trench, which is 7,000km from the Mariana trench. The pollution was ubiquitous; the scientists said that it was found “In all samples across all species at all depths in both trenches”. PCBs were manufactured from the 1930s to the 1970s, when their appalling impact on people and wildlife was realised. About a third of the 1.3 million tonnes produced has already leaked into coastal sediments and the open oceans, with a steady stream still thought to be coming from poorly protected landfill sites. This alarming news can be used in a positive way however, by highlighting the high levels of monitoring of raw materials that is carried out during all stages and processes of aqua farming. Aqua farmed fish is actually safer to eat than wild fish since they were farmed in a controlled environment, scrutinised for PCBs, heavy metals, GMOs etc. This is a feature of aqua farmed products that could be communicated more effectively. Presenting food safety through this angle (rather than just mentioning the HACCP/ISO22000 certification) might help aquaculture companies to communicate more competently the real value of aqua farmed produce.
Further reading
‘Extraordinary’ levels of pollutants found in 10km deep Mariana trench https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/feb/13/extraordinary-levelsof-toxic-pollution-found-in-10km-deep-mariana-trench The impact of water pollution with chromium and nickel to the food chain http://www.spectroscopyeurope.com/articles/55-articles/3321-the-impact-ofwater-pollution-with-chromium-and-nickel-to-the-food-chain @yanzabet
After an Academic career spanning 12 years in the Univ. of Athens, Ioannis joined University of Limerick (UL) as a Lecturer on Food Lipids where the ongoing focus of his work will be towards the cardioprotective properties of food lipids with particular emphasis on dairy and aquaculture products.
T
he Enterra Feed Corporation has received approval from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to sell its whole dried black soldier fly larvae as a feed ingredient for salmonoids, including farmed salmon, trout and arctic char. This approval means that the Metro Vancouverbased company is now the first to market and sell this sustainable, natural product to aquaculture feed manufacturers in Canada. This is the first Canadian approval of an insectbased aquaculture feed ingredient, and follows the CFIA’s approval using this same product in feed for chicken broilers last year. According to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Canada is the fourth-largest producer of farmed salmon in the world. In 2015, the farm gate value of salmon and trout in Canada was $850 million. Andrew Vickerson, Chief Technology Officer, Enterra clarifies, “Aquaculture feed producers have been keenly awaiting this approval and we look forward to supplying their needs immediately,” He continues, “Fish eat insects in their natural environment and our product is a healthy, digestible and renewable source of protein and fat that can replace less sustainable ingredients, including fishmeal and soybean meal.” The production of fishmeal, which is a standard aquaculture feed ingredient can deplete wild ocean fish stocks and is subject to substantial price fluctuations. Soybean meal however, requires significant agricultural inputs that could otherwise be used more efficiently to grow food for people. Dr Brad Hicks, a veterinarian and partner in Taplow Feeds and an aquaculture feed manufacturer says, “Insects are a natural source of digestible protein and fat for fish, including salmon and trout. This product will contribute to healthy, active fish and is a great alternative feed ingredient.” The insect based feed is also offered with a longterm price guarantee. In order to make the produce the company collects pre-consumer recycled food from farms, grocery stores and food producers. All waste that would otherwise be sent to landfill, compost or waste-to-energy facilities where the nutrient value would be lost or underutilised. Instead, Enterra feeds the waste food to black soldier fly larvae, which grow rapidly under controlled conditions. Once mature, the larvae are processed into renewable feed ingredients in the form of whole dried black soldier fly larvae, Enterra Meal (made of de-fatted larvae) and Enterra Oil (extracted from the larvae). The company’s sales have tripled each year since its Langley farm opened in 2014. Through its proprietary process, they have converted tens of thousands of metric tonnes of pre-consumer waste food into sustainable feed ingredients for its growing customer base. They plan to expand their existing facility and establish additional farms in Canada and the US to meet the increased customer demand anticipated to result from future US and Canadian approvals of a complementary feed product, Enterra Meal These approvals are expected in 2017.
4 | March 2017 - International Aquafeed