August 27, 2015
Denmark research to improve fish feed digestibility
Scientists and the aquaculture industry in Denmark have joined forces to improve protein digestibility of aquafeed.
The research project aims to reduce the impact on the aquatic environment, improve fish growth and save the industry DKK 50 million (US$7.7 million) a year.
Together with the University of Copenhagen, the Technical University of Denmark, and the fish feed producer BioMar, scientists from Aarhus University are participating in the project ExiPro. Improved protein digestibility will increase fish growth, reduce the environmental impact and improve the economy of fish producers. If the protein is otherwise not fully utilised then surplus nitrogen will end up polluting the aquatic environment.
The project partners expect to increase protein digestibility by at least 1% and protein intake by at least 5%. This means a total reduction of nitrogen excretion to the aquatic environment of at least 9%.
The project aims at improving protein digestibility by optimising the extrusion process in feed production.
"The extruder is like a ''black box'' as we only have limited knowledge on the chemical reactions and physical processes that take place in it," associate professor Trine Kastrup Dalsgaard, Department of Food Science at Aarhus University, explains.
"We find it important to optimise the process and focus on raw material quality in order to minimise any damage to the protein during the processing of feed to achieve optimum fish feed and ensure high fish farming quality," Dalsgaard adds.
An improved understanding of the extrusion process and its effects on feed protein will allow the project partners to develop extrusion tools for different protein feeds ensuring that each type of protein source will have the optimum treatment when producing feed.
Source: www.cnchemicals.com/