The global population is increasing rapidly, with an expected addition of 2 billion people by 2050. Meeting the nutritional needs of this growing population will require a diverse range of protein sources. Seafood is already a vital component in addressing this demand. As we look toward the future of aquaculture, it becomes increasingly clear that innovative approaches to fish nutrition are vital for sustainable growth and environmental stewardship. Cargill Aqua Nutrition has embarked on a journey to redefine salmon feed, introducing groundbreaking concepts that support farmers in their goal of optimizing performance, health and cost-efficiency. The realization of this vision for precision nutrition began in 2021 with the external launch of Essential Nitrogen and has now evolved into its Effective Energy framework.
“Building on expertise developed by Cargill Aqua Nutrition in protein and energy nutrition, Essential Nitrogen has revolutionized our approach to feed formulation. Traditionally, protein has been a critical component of aquafeeds. However, we recognized that simply increasing protein content was not the most efficient way to enhance fish growth and performance. Instead, our global R&D scientists have utilized their knowledge across all species to develop Essential Nitrogen, which focuses on improving nitrogen utilization while maintaining or increasing performance,” said Christian De Santis, principal scientist lead, Cargill Aqua Nutrition.
Understanding nitrogen components to improve feed precision
Essential Nitrogen involves partitioning total digestible nitrogen into new nutritional entities, thus replacing traditional protein with new precisely calibrated nutrients. “This innovation allowed us to develop an empirical nutrition physiology engine based on extensive trials. By doing so, we created a system that predicts fish performance more accurately, resulting in more precise nitrogen formulations tailored to achieve specific performance targets. We now have three years of experience with this concept in the market and millions of fish in different locations have been raised successfully using this concept,” De Santis explained.
From a salmon producers’ perspective, this means a more cost-effective and efficient nutrition solution. Protein, being the most expensive component of the feed, is now utilized more effectively by the fish, reducing waste and improving growth. “This lowers not only costs, but also environmental impact as less nitrogen is excreted into the environment. Fundamentally, the Essential Nitrogen concept aims to allow every nutrient input to be maximized for the fish's growth and health, providing a significant value proposition for our customers,” De Santis stated.
A notable achievement of the Essential Nitrogen approach is its alignment with Cargill’s broader sustainability goals. “By enhancing nitrogen utilization, we reduce the ecological footprint of aquaculture operations, supporting both economic and environmental sustainability. This approach ensures that nutrients are effectively used by the fish, working towards zero nutrient waste and contributing to cleaner and healthier aquatic ecosystems,” De Santis said.
Effective energy: A comprehensive framework
Building on the success of Essential Nitrogen, Cargill Aqua Nutrition is introducing the second phase: Effective Energy. This phase integrates the Essential Nitrogen concept into a comprehensive framework that combines tank data, commercial data, and formulation data. By leveraging Cargill’s collective knowledge and learning from its knowledge across different species, the company is able to refine its approach, ensuring even greater precision and efficiency in its formulations. The result is a robust nutrition physiology engine capable of generating customized nutritional plans for virtually every farming site and stocking condition.
Effective Energy builds on the insights gained from tank trials conducted in the Essential Nitrogen phase. “While these trials provided an understanding of the nutritional physiology foundations and how the new nutrients (i.e., Essential Nitrogen) are expected to be utilized by fish, they did not fully represent the diverse conditions of commercial farming. Effective Energy overcomes this by incorporating real-world commercial data, allowing us to fine-tune our nutritional physiology engine to tailor to specific farming locations, stocking seasons, life stages, and economic constraints such as raw material prices. Furthermore, our fully integrated, end-to-end scenario planning tools enable us to simulate various farming scenarios and customize nutritional plans to support greater efficiency and sustainability. Ultimately, we want to be our customers' trusted advisors, and this system helps us elevate our support to the next level,” De Santis explained.
This holistic approach means that customers will benefit from nutritional plans tailored to their unique conditions. Whether it's the geographical location of a farm, the specific size of the fish, or the economic context, the solution adjusts to deliver performance outcomes. “This level of customization ensures that our feeds not only support fish growth and health but are also capable of enhancing the overall sustainability and profitability of salmon farming operations,” De Santis said.
From concept to commercial trials: Ensuring practical application
Cargill Aqua Nutrition has conducted phase one deployments to validate its concepts, moving from tank trials to sea (commercial trials), ensuring that its innovations are practical and effective in real-world conditions. Additionally, the company has patents pending on the Effective Nitrogen and Essential Energy concepts, underscoring its commitment to leading the industry with proprietary technology.
Precision feed formulation through a comprehensive framework
“This is a significant journey for the salmon industry, and we are well underway, already delivering real value today. By supporting greater nitrogen utilization and integrating it into a comprehensive framework, we are offering a capability that allows us to improve nutrient efficiency, performance, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability based on customer objectives,” De Santis said.
“Our portfolio of products, when used together, has the potential to drive sustainable, profitable protein production for our customers and the growing population. Additionally, we continue to build fully integrated scenario planning and decision-making tools, continuously improving and adapting to ever-changing circumstances, ensuring that our innovations are both practical and effective. These innovations underscore our commitment to supporting the aquaculture industry with cutting-edge nutritional solutions that drive performance and sustainability,” De Santis concluded.
