Prime algae oil in shrimp feed trial

AN alternative feed ingredient containing algal oil has been fed to shrimp in a successful trial, conducted by Thai Union.

The company, which also recently trialled the alternative Feedkind protein at one of its shrimp farms, has a goal to bring more responsibly sourced and sustainably harvested shrimp to market.

In the latest project, shrimp were fed AlgaPrime DHA, an algae based source of long-chain omega3s produced by Corbion.

Announcing the results of the trial at this week’s SeaWeb Seafood Summit in Bangkok, Corbion global aquaculture lead Crhis Haacke said: ‘Shrimp farming is one of the fastest growing sectors in the aquaculture industry, and AlgaPrime DHA has the potential to offer shrimp farmers assurance in traceability and sustainability of their feed, while also allowing them to add beneficial omega 3s to their product.’

Shrimp farming currently consumes approximately 100,000 tonnes of fish oil annually, predominantly because fish oil contains DHA, a key ingredient in shrimp growth and development.

Global demand for omega 3s, such as DHA, is growing rapidly, but the availability of omega 3s from wild caught fish is limited, said Corbion.

The company has been producing AlgaPrime DHA at large industrial scale since 2016, to meet the needs of the aquaculture industry.

Developed to reduce dependency on marine fisheries, AlgaPrime DHA is a native, whole algae ingredient that contains approximately three times the level of DHA of fish oil.

‘AlgaPrime DHA is a clean ingredient, sustainably produced through fermentation with non-GM cane sugar as a feedstock,’ said Corbion, in a press release.

Darian McBain, global director of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability at Thai Union,
said: ‘At Thai Union, our SeaChange sustainability strategy drives meaningful improvements across the entire global seafood industry, especially when it comes to traceable and responsible sourcing.

‘By working with Corbion, we are progressing our goal to bring even more responsibly sourced and sustainably harvested shrimp to market.’