In recent times, with natural disasters and an economic 'situation' worldwide, the cost of fishmeal has skyrocket, which is affecting the aquaculture industry and demand is outstripping supply.
New revolutionary and innovative ways to find a cheaper alternative to fishmeal, reducing our dependency and improving the profitability plus sustainability of the aquaculture industry, are being studied and tested.
One of these revolutionary ideas on feathermeal was published in a recent article called 'Adding value to Feathermeal' by drying using optimal conditions using low temperature (LT) drying technology (Rebafka & Kulshreshtha, 2009).
Drying at low temperature causes less damage to the proteins and is quicker, at just a few minutes rather than 60 minutes drying time in a horizontal rotary disc dryer.
The major protein component in feathers is keratin that is not 'available' and is non- digestible by fish in its native form. But during the production process keratin is converted into a valuable feed protein. Often considered as an inferior source of protein for fish, the LT drying technique of the feathers has increased the essential amino acids (EAA) content.
Theoretical comparison between LT feathermeal and fishmeal indicate that the EAA in LT feathermeal exceeds those in fishmeal! Studies carried out on various combinations of fishmeal and feathermeal at Nam Sai Farms (Thailand) on the Nile Tilapia found that it is possible to have a 50/50 mix without losing performance.
Even though feathermeal is still not a favourable ingredient in aquafeed, its is a good suitable replacement for fishmeal with levels up to an inclusion of 10 percent in fish and shrimp formulations, which could reduce the cost for fishmeal. Also new ways of dealing with keratin need to be found and in the long run it could help to improve the quality of feathermeal in aquaculture.
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