Single-cell protein producer Unibio unveiled that an initial trial of its single-cell protein, Uniprotein®, on whiteleg shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) has been conducted and delivered up to 75% improved survival rates compared to a control group fed with fishmeal.

Initial tests, conducted by the Spanish Instituto de Investigación y Tecnología Agroalimentarias, as part of the Valuewaste EU project, showed that substituting fishmeal with Uniprotein® increased survival rates. With a 100% inclusion of fishmeal, the survival rate was 37% and by substituting all fishmeal with Uniprotein® the survival rate increased to 67% – an improvement of 75%. Additionally, Uniprotein® performed as well as fishmeal on feed conversion ratio. “The results indicate that the shrimp production industry could improve productivity and profits by replacing fishmeal with Uniprotein®,” the company said.

“We are delighted with the positive results of this trial, which confirmed the viability of Uniprotein® as a replacement for fishmeal in whiteleg shrimp. Importantly, it has shown that Uniprotein® can increase the survival rate of shrimp by about 75%, which could potentially transform the shrimp industry by improving sales and increasing profits,” said David Henstrom, CEO of Unibio.

A challenge trial with Vibrio harveyi was conducted to induce stress in shrimp and investigate if Uniprotein® affected the immune response during the challenge. Results from this trial showed that Uniprotein® supplemented feeds – with 100% replacement of fishmeal – decreased the mortality from 16% to 2%. “Such results indicate that Uniprotein® triggers an interesting immune response that needs further investigation,” the company said.

Unibio’s initial nutritional trial, which was conducted over five months, comprised 24 200L tanks of water connected to a RAS system, each with 100 post-larvae shrimp and seven different diets with various percentages of Uniprotein® replacing fishmeal.