Feed stability in aquaculture

The importance of aquaculture

The global demand for fish and shrimps is growing constantly. Aquaculture plays a major role in this trend as the demand cannot be met through ocean-fishing alone. Fish production from aquaculture already exceeds capture production.

More than 70% of the total global aquaculture production is dependent upon the supply of external feed input, with the industry currently producing around 53 million tonnes of feed annually. One characteristic of this feed is its content of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) which must be supplemented because they are essential for fish.

The challenge in feed for aquaculture

Depending on the species, the feed has a high content of fat, whereby the proportion of oils of maritime source are being increasingly replaced by vegetable oils. Fish oil and certain algae contain a high proportion of PUFA (omega-3). These PUFA are highly reactive and susceptible to oxidation due to their double bonds. Furthermore, the majority of aquaculture farms are based in the Mediterranean and Southeast Asia where the climatic conditions often pose additional challenges and stress on the feed.

Fish feed manufacturing involves stressful processes with thermal treatment, such as pelleting or extrusion. These processes are particularly stressful for fats and oils.

Handling the fish during harvesting and slaughter causes further stress for the animals and leads to lipid oxidation in the fish fillets.

It is highly important to protect the fats and oils in the feed to prevent oxidative spoilage and loss of nutritional value and ensure good storability of the feed. Oxidised feed can impede the absorption of pigments from the feed which is a major issue in aquaculture, while food quality (the final fish fillet) can also suffer for the above reasons.

The solution

Antioxidants are the key to providing the much-needed stabilisation of various raw materials during production. Adding antioxidants at an early stage in production stabilises the valuable nutrients during production and subsequent storage.

With more than 50 years of experience in antioxidants, Kaesler Nutrition is the expert in stabilising all kinds of feed. Kaesler Nutrition’s tried and tested Loxidan range of synergistic antioxidant blends is available in liquid and powder formulations for targeted and flexible application. Natural or synthetic, liquid or powder – the choice is yours!