Menon Renewable Products performed a trial on its MrFeed® animal feed ingredient product as a part of F3 (Future of Fish Feed) Feed Innovation Network research (F3 FIN). Results from the trial demonstrated that shrimp feed formulations including MrFeed® at an 18% inclusion level, which fully replaced fishmeal, had significantly higher survival rates when exposed to Early Mortality Syndrome (EMS) when compared to the survivability of shrimp fed traditional diets containing fishmeal and fish oil.
The F3 FIN research proved the benefits of MrFeed® Pro50, one of Menon’s MrFeed® formulations of sustainable and functional ingredients, and Veramaris’ natural marine algal oil, for shrimp diets. Shrimp that were fed a diet with standard levels of DHA, where MrFeed® replaced fishmeal at an 18% inclusion level, achieved a survival rate that was 20% greater than competitive feeds. At this inclusion level, the feed cost was competitive with traditional fishmeal-based diets while the MrFeed® diets achieved faster growth, higher survival and significantly enhanced yields. In another formulation, where the diet included not only MrFeed® as a replacement for fishmeal (at an 18% inclusion level), but also 4% highly concentrated DHA from Veramaris® Vera Oil®, survival rates for shrimp were 60% greater than commercial diets. In the future, this ingredient combination in a commercial diet would be very attractive to end-users.
“MrFeed® has once again demonstrated superiority over traditional fishmeal and fishmeal-free alternatives in growth, survivability and disease remediation,” said Suresh Menon, founder and president of Menon. “The F3 Feed Innovation Network is one of the leading groups researching replacements for fishmeal in aquaculture and this result demonstrates not only the ability of MrFeed® to replace fishmeal but also to overcome many of the disease challenges being faced by today's aquaculture industry.”
To date, MrFeed® has been tested on over 400 million shrimp, averaging a 25% increase in yield as enhanced immune system health drives faster growth and higher survival. “Our product can replace 100% of fishmeal while strengthening the immune system of the animal. Importantly, MrFeed® is a disruptive technology as it is already being produced at scale with pricing that is competitive to traditional feed formulations, even before factoring in the benefits of higher yields,” added Menon.
“The quest for a sustainable, nutritious and cost-effective feed ingredients represents the most urgent issue facing the animal feed industry today, particularly in aquaculture,” said Frederic T. Barrows, a senior researcher on the study. “Through this study, we were able to demonstrate that two innovative ingredients, MrFeed® for protein and Veramaris® Vera Oil® for essential fatty acids, provide an excellent source of non-marine harvested nutrients. This study again demonstrates that animals require the proper balance of nutrients and do not require specific ingredients, like fishmeal or fish oil.”
Additional studies with Veramaris/Menon-based diets for shrimp will be announced in the future. MrFeed® is now available to purchase for commercial application and/or testing.
