May 20, 2024 - Insect protein and fat are an important component of the natural diet of various fish species. The nutrients present in insects include both beneficial amino acids composition and a health-promoting fatty acid profile. Providing compounds such as peptides and lipids may be crucial to the future of efficient and sustainable fish rearing. “To face the need to protect the environment and water resources, aquaculture industry will change, also in terms of nutrition. Large-scale production of insect-derived products is crucial due to its ecological aspect and no environmental degradation" predicts Maciej Szumiński, Sales and Marketing Director at HiProMine.
HiProMine has opened another European plant, specialising in the production of insect protein and fat, which is becoming increasingly desirable in the aquaculture industry. Many aquafeed producers recognise not only the health benefits of insect-derived products, but also the ecological and economic aspects.
"When it comes to healthy and sustainable nutrition of farmed fish insects are the future" explains Maciej Szumiński. "Aquaculture production has become a key sector in food production, providing high-quality protein for an increasing human population. However, as production increases, challenges arise in ensuring sustainable and efficient production. In recent years, interest in insect-derived products as a valuable raw materials in aquaculture nutrition and as a tool for aquatic environment protection has been growing significantly" he adds.
Due to their high protein content and efficient feed utilisation, insects are a promising and ecological source of nutrients for aquaculture. Larvae of insect species, such as Hermetia Illucens, can transform agricultural by-products into high-value protein, which makes them ecologically and economically attractive.
The Polish company HiProMine SA has just launched a large plan in Karkoszów (Lubuskie Voivodeship), located only 100km from Berlin. The year capacity of livestock is estimated for 25,000 tonnes and the same amount of organic fertiliser. It is the largest plant in Central Europe, with proprietary technology for insects breeding and rearing, employing many scientists conducting numerous research on the properties of protein in the nutrition of various animal species.
"Insect protein, which in the natural environment is a basic component of fish diets, is characterised by optimal amino acids profile" reveals Dr Monika Dudek. "Moreover, ingredients with functional properties contained in insect-derived products play an important role in improving the fish health" she adds.
How is insect protein digestibility in fish?
"When insect-derived products are used in salmonid diets, both high digestion of crude protein and crude fat can be noted. In other words, nutrients in insect raw materials are characterised by high availability for gastrointestinal tract, especially in case of carnivorous fish. Additionally, favourable rearing results are noted and improvement in intestinal microbiota composition, which is crucial for fish health" explains Dr Zuzanna Mikołajczak, fish nutrition specialist in HiProMine.
The usage of insect protein as a dietary component in fish nutrition can bring a number of benefits, such as increase of feed efficiency, improve of fish growth and reduce of mortality.
"Our production is ecological, minimises the carbon footprint and fits into the ideas of broadly understood care for environmental protection and sustainable developement" says Maciej Szumiński. "Building a plant where we will produce insect protein and fat was enormous challenge. However, we believe that our scientific achievements, translated on a large scale, will bring tangible results both for the environment and aquaculture development."
Maciej Szumiński emphasises that fish production requires the usage of huge mounts of feed. One of the raw materials used in fish nutrition are fishmeal and fish oil, partly produced from unsustainable fishery. Overfishing of oceans to produce aqua raw materials lead to overuse of raw natural resources.
The usage of insect-derived products can reduce these negative effects by lower inclusion of conventional raw materials in feed, which brings sustainability benefits and decrease negative impact of aquaculture on natural aquatic environments. This trend has therefore become a topic of interest due to its high nutritional value and ecological features.
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The Aquaculturists
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