Novacq – commercializing the paradigm shift in shrimp nutrition

Since 2002, CSIRO in Australia has been working on the production of a novel bioactive feed ingredient which not only has been demonstrated to increase growth rate in shrimp from between 20 to 40%, and provide protection to some known pathogens but can also reduce  dependence on expensive and potentially unsustainable marine resources. This ingredient called Novacq^TM is soon to be commercialized for inclusion into shrimp diets. The Australian feed company Ridley Aqua-Feed, which has commercialization rights in Australia and some SE Asian countries, is now embarking on the next stage of this exciting project.

This presentation describes Novacq^TM , summarizes the results obtained when incorporating it into shrimp diets under both laboratory and commercial conditions,  outlines the challenging path to commercialization of the product into the global shrimp culture industry and the game changing implications this could have on the sustainability of the industry into the future.

Dr. Matthew Briggs, Technical Project Manager – Novacq Commercialization, Ridley AgriProducts Pty. Ltd., Australia

Matthew Briggs has 30 years aquaculture experience and a PhD in shrimp culture from the Institute of Aquaculture, Scotland.

He has worked worldwide in research, development, training and managing shrimp breeding, larval rearing and grow-out projects for international NGOs (including FAO & NACA) and private companies.

Currently he is employed by Ridley  AgriProducts in Australia, working with CSIRO as Technical Project Manager of the Novacq^TM (biofloc meal) commercialization project.

He was Director of Vannamei 101 Thailand, as consultant and trainer on shrimp breeding, hatchery and grow-out projects, product and broodstock/PL sales for the past decade.

  

Least cost diets are for suckers – economic formulations for 2020

For too long the focus of diet manufacture has been “least cost formulation” and while this is a function of saving money at the point of the biggest single cost to the farmer, there is a clear danger of least cost formulating off the edge of “the risk cliff”.  With the volatility of the fishmeal and oil markets, currency fluctuations and the issue of sustainability, there has never been a time where feed company formulators have been under so much pressure to hit the sweet spot of lowest cost feed and highest production of fish or shrimp.  It is too easy to be tempted into using lower specification raw materials and adjusting formulations to meet commercial expectations, but case studies will show that current diets can meet all the above considerations and actually improve growth, FCR and above all health of farmed fish and shrimp, while bad decisions can cost you dearly.

Dr. Richard Smullen, Technical Manager, Ridley AgriProducts Pty. Ltd., Australia

Dr Richard Smullen obtained his PhD from the Gatty Marine Laboratory, St Andrews Scotland and started his Post doctoral studies at the Institute of Aquaculture in 1994 where he continued his work on eyestalk neuropeptides in shrimp and lectured on the Aquaculture MSc course. After leaving the academic environment Richard worked for BioMar as the Technical and Product Development Manager and since 2003 he has been the Technical Manager at Ridley Aqua-Feeds in Brisbane, Australia.  He also currently manages the R&D portfolio for Ridley managing feed and farm trials for shrimp, barramundi, kingfish, salmon and tuna.

Protease in aquaculture feed - better quality, better profit or both?

Aquaculture has been the fastest growing animal production sector for the past three decades. With increasing production, the demand for quality aquaculture feed will also rise significantly reaching 75 million tons by 2020. With poor characterization of most ingredients coupled with fewer novel sources, the industry is at a crossroad where it needs to find ways for sustained growth. One way is to improve the quality of ingredients; the other is to increase the available nutrient content in feed. There is an increasing use of exogenous enzymes such as phytase and several carbohydrases including xylanase, beta-glucanase, beta-mannanase, to ensure better utilization of nutrients in aquaculture feed. However, volatility of global supply and price of common protein ingredients has been discomforting for aquaculture feed manufacturers worldwide. A probable solution, to reduce the inherent variations in protein quality and to increase digestible protein content, is adding protease enzyme in feed.           

There are about 15 major fed aquaculture species that include carps, tilapias, salmonids, catfishes and crustaceans such as shrimps or crabs. Nutritional and environmental requirement of each group of species is different and proper  understanding of ingredients quality and nutrition of target species group is therefore key to better utilize the nutrients from ingredients available at a given moment, the lack of which forces formulators to use higher safety margins resulting in the waste of expensive proteins. Use of protease in aquafeed will improve intestinal health of the animals and will ensure better growth. It will also increase digestible protein contents in the feed and therefore, will minimize the ecological footprint of an operation. In a nutshell, protease can provide a valuable insurance for feed manufacturers, allowing them to reduce safety margins, without sacrificing the quality of the feed.

Dr. M A Kabir Chowdhury, Product Manager Aquaculture, Jefo Nutrition Inc., Canada

Trained in Bangladesh, Thailand and Canada, Dr. Kabir Chowdhury has some 20 years of experience in  aquaculture. He has published more than 25 peer-reviewed and popular articles published in internationally reputed journals and magazines, co-authored a widely acclaimed book on “Environment Assessment Guidelines for Coastal Aquaculture”, and presented research papers in numerous meetings and conferences. Currently he is acting as external reviewer for major aquaculture journals. Dr. Chowdhury has joined Jefo Nutrition Inc. of Quebec, Canada as Product Manager – Aquaculture following his graduation from the Fish Nutrition Research Laboratory of the University of Guelph, Canada with a major in animal nutrition.  In his current role, he manages and lead Jefo aquaculture program that include product development, providing technical and sales support, and maintaining liaison with industry leaders around the world.

Functional feed additives to reduce the impact from bacterial diseases on shrimp production

“Early Mortality Syndrome” (EMS), more technically known as acute hepatopancreatic necrosis syndrome (AHPNS), is disrupting production in the three major shrimp producing countries: China, Thailand and Vietnam. The EMS/AHPNS pathogen is a unique strain of Vibrio parahaemolyticus, infected by a phage, which causes it to release a potent toxin. EMS, being caused by a bacteria that is difficult to eradicate, requires a very  different approach than WSSV for maintaining bio-security in shrimp production.   Functional feeds containing gut health promotors deliver an adequate concentration of natural antimicrobial activities into the shrimp gut with every meal and could be an important component of any strategy to prevent bacterial diseases such as EMS.  However, their success will depend on the  efficacy of the selected gut health promotor against the pathogenic  bacteria involved. Vibrio species, including Vibrio parahaemolyticus, appear to be highly sensitive to a natural feed additive composed of a synergistic blend of antimicrobial compounds (Sanacore GM). Recent research is shows that as well as direct bactericide/bacteriostatic  effects,  selected combinations of antimicrobial compounds are at the basis of more complex mechanisms to steer microbiota composition, i.e. Quorum Sensing (QS) disruption. QS disruptors are increasingly investigated as alternatives to antibiotics due to their efficacy at low concentrations and the low chance of bacteria developing resistance against these non-lethal molecules. Our research has shown that  synergistic blends of natural antimicrobial compounds can function as powerful interrupters of bacterial QS signaling in a typical aquaculture pathogen such as  Vibrio harveyi at concentrations well below minimal inhibitory concentrations.

Dr. Peter Coutteau, Business Unit Manager – Aquaculture, Nutriad International NV, Belgium

Peter Coutteau obtained a Ph.D. in Biological  Sciences in 1992 at the Laboratory of Aquaculture & Artemia Reference Center, University of Gent, on the filter feeding biology of Artemia and bivalves. He continued his research at postdoc level on lipid nutrition of bivalves, fish and shrimp, publishing over 40 refereed papers in scientific journals. In 1997 he joined INVE Technologies NV, as head of research and product development in the aquaculture division. In 1999, he took up R&D for a new range of premixes and feed additives for grow-out feeds for fish and shrimp. From 2002-2008, he was product  manager farm nutrition for INVE’s Business Unit Aquaculture, responsible for global product development and customer service for feed concentrates and additives for fish/shrimp feedmilling and farming. From 2006-2010, he was the general manager of the research company Caditec Testing SL (Cadiz, Spain). Since January 2009, Dr. Coutteau has been Manager of Nutriad’s Business Unit Aquaculture, directing the product development, customer service and implementation of sales objectives for a specialized portfolio of aquaculture additives.

Improving aqua feed buoyancy and pellet uniformity with density controllers and revolver die

The extrusion dies for forming are without doubt exposed to the highest loads due to temperature, friction, compression and wear. Die design is often a critical variable as the die pattern influences the pellet physical quality. A new revolver die gives a smooth aquafeed surface and enhances pellet size uniformity, especially at high temperatures of extrudate in the die area.

Density control in aqua feed is another critical variable since it effects a set of factors including pellet buoyancy, floating and sinking characteristics, oil impregnation during the coating process and factory capacity. Pellets buoyancy is easily correlated with bulk density.

Final product bulk density ranges have been defined for each feed for the environment in which it is fed e.g. neutral buoyancy (salt water 3% bulk density 520-540 g/l). Incorrect pellet bulk density will reduce aquatic animal feed intake and the level of oil absorption.

Density and SME controllers can help make floating, slow sinking and sinking pellets. These devices reduce the need to change the screw configuration and provide control of shear stress, specific mechanical energy and extrusion pressure. The controllers can also be connected to the extruder control system to automatically adjusted and maintain the process conditions to its chosen set-point in order to make aquafeed with a wide range of bulk densities.

Dr. Cristian Atienza, Aqua Feed Technology Manager, Bühler, Switzerland

 Cristian Atienza was appointed Aquafeed Technology Manager at Bühler in September 2013. Cristian has 10 years of experience within the aquafeed market at leading companies such as Ewos Norway and Biomar A/S. In his most recent position, Cristian managed operational best practices for Biomar Norway. In this role, he contributed to the establishment of factory optimization platforms for long term strategic planning, working with the Senior Operations Team and key managers.

His experience is enhanced by a Master in feed manufacturing and technology from the             Norwegian University of Life Science and his Doctor (c) in Agriculture Science from the             University of Hohenheim/Germany.

As Aquafeed Technology Manager, Cristian  supports Bühler’s efforts in areas such as           customer consulting, sales support and assistance for strategic development, internal training and the definition and specification of machine and process parameters.

Process and technology considerations for efficient drying of aquafeed of varying sizes

This presentation will discuss the effects different drying process parameters have on moisture uniformity, feed quality and performance, as well as energy efficiency. The attendee will take away a knowledge of how to optimize the drying process to positively impact these characteristics, and strike a profitable balance between throughput and product consistency.

Justin Hamm, Global Applications Engineering Specialist, Aquafeed and Petfood Drying Bühler Aeroglide, USA

 Justin Hamm is Bühler Aeroglide’s  Global Applications Engineering  Specialist for Aquafeed and Petfood Drying.  He received his bachelor’s degree from North Carolina State University in Mechanical Engineering and has worked as a process  engineer in the feed industry since 2007.  Since working with Bühler Aeroglide, Justin has travelled extensively throughout Asia, Europe and the Americas helping feed producers improve energy efficiency, product quality and process control.

High capacity and cost efficient aquafeed production

Aquafeed production line sizes are growing in Asia. There are many advantages: for example,. reduced labor costs, reduced energy consumption, lower wear parts consumption, smaller foot print with reduced investment, improved ease of traceability etc. Based on multiple worldwide references and experiences in the supply of high capacity aquafeed production lines (15-25 tph) ,Andritz Feed & Biofuel will present some of the pros and cons of high capacity lines.

Finn Normann Jensen, Director of Global Business Development & Marketing, Andritz Feed & Biofuel A/S, Denmark

Finn Normann Jensen is the Director of Global Sales & Business  Development, Andritz Feed & Biofuel A/S. He has more than 30 years of experience within the feed and bio-fuel pelleting and extrusion industry, in companies forming what today is Andritz Feed & Biofuel A/S. He has held positions as R&D Design Engineer, R&D Manager, Technical Director, Business Manager Extrusion, General Manager, Divisional Manager Andritz FT and Director Global Sales.

Single use or multiple purpose extruder designs

Extrusion cookers have been evolving continuously since they were first developed close to 75 years ago for the feed industry.  Extrusion developed on a simple basis with improvements which allowed for different products to be manufactured.  One of the first things noticed was that feeds floated in water.  Something as simple as this coupled with ever-changing ingredient possibilities create an array of possibilities on how to achieve the final product.  Currently there are a multitude of extruder designs with designs for specific uses.  There are also designs with add on options which allow for a wide range of products to be made on the same equipment.  How to select a machine, manage these options as well as determine which system or option is right for your use.

Joseph P. Kearns, Aquaculture Process Engineering Manager, Wenger Manufacturing, Inc., USA

Joseph P. Kearns is the Aquaculture Process  Engineering Manager for Wenger Manufacturing, Inc.  Joe received his bachelor’s degree from Kansas State University in Food Technology Engineering.  He has been employed at Wenger since 1974 and has responsibilities starting with drafting and continuing into sales throughout the world.   In his current position regarding aquaculture he continues with the efforts to advance this technology on existing and newly developing aquatic species.  He has eight patents for Wenger all with regards to aquatic feeds and/or machinery associated with production of same.  He has more then 40 published articles on aquatic feeds production advantages by extrusion cooking through trade magazines.  He has   presented at numerous events around the world on the topic of aquatic feed production.

Presentation summaries

Six weeks to go before the start of Aquafeed Horizons Asia! Starting today we will be posting summaries of the presentations and information about the speakers - so stop by often to see what's new.

Have you registered yet? Don't delay - make sure you get a place at this valuable conference. You can find full information at www.feedconferences.com.

Only two days left for Early Bird discounts at Aquafeed Horizons!

Aquafeed Horizons is fast approaching and with just two days to go to the Early Bird registration deadline, registrations are taking off. We have excellent programs for both Aquafeed Horizons and the FIAAP Conference, with outstanding international speakers and demand for places promises to be high - especially since we are providing Thai translation this year. So please don't miss out - secure your place  - and register before February 15, to save with these special rates.
Visit www.feedconferences.com to see the program, find out about hotels and transportation and to register.
I am looking forward to seeing you in Bangkok!