'Anti-lice' feed ingredient approved for sale in EU
A functional fish feed ingredient shown to boost growth and reduce lice infestation in Atlantic salmon in laboratory trials has been granted European Union certification.
California start-up Menon Renewable Products’ MrFeed is a high-protein ingredient containing a blend of amino acids, peptides and nucleotides that is made by a patented process that converts hydrocarbon-based sugars from agriculture-based organic raw materials.
An 80-day growth trial on Prince Edward Island, Canada demonstrated that Atlantic salmon fed diets containing MrFeed grew 20-30% faster than fish fed a traditional fishmeal diet, according to figures on the company’s website.
40% fewer lice
Laboratory trials at the Centre for Aquaculture Technologies Canada also showed that salmon given MrFeed diets had sea lice counts that were on average 40% lower than those of fish fed a commercial diet, Menon’s website shows.
In a trial run by the US Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS), trout given a diet containing MrFeed grew 12.7% faster than those fed a diet containing fishmeal.
Menon says MrFeed has been tested in the diets of millions of animals such as swine, poultry, finfish, and shrimp in trials around the world, consistently increasing yields as enhanced immune system health drives faster growth and higher survival. The product has been tested extensively in commercial settings worldwide.
Disruptive technology
“MrFeed was developed with the goal of replacing both antibiotics and unsustainable ingredients like fishmeal in livestock and aquaculture diets around the world, and this is another step toward the achievement of that mission,” said Dr Suresh Menon, founder and president of Menon, in a press release.
“Through each of our studies, we have proven that our product can replace ingredients like blood meal, soymeal, poultry meal, fish meal, and various enzymes while strengthening the overall economics for farmers.
“We are pleased to now be able to share our product with those in the aquaculture and livestock sectors across Europe. MrFeed is a disruptive technology that is already being produced at scale with pricing that is competitive to traditional feed formulations, even before factoring in the economic benefits.”
Kegoagri SA, a subsidiary of the EU’s biggest sea bass and sea bream farmer, Avramar group, will be the first distributor of MrFeed for the European market.
