Cargill Ecuador launched its revamped Aquaxcel portfolio, now under a high-performance philosophy. This redesign responds to the evolving needs of the market, focusing on greater efficiency in reducing production costs per pound produced and improving profitability per hectare.
As one of the most significant innovations in the nutritional portfolio, the new Aquaxcel lineup offers improvements in key performance indicators, targeting the production and economic goals of shrimp farmers. Under this new philosophy, average FCRs have been reduced by 15%, while weekly growth rates have increased by 49%. These results have been achieved under various production conditions within the Ecuadorian market.
High-performance philosophy
The high-performance philosophy is driven by market needs and is based on continuous improvement across three interconnected pillars: Nutrition, Ingredients, and Manufacturing.
The development of precision nutrition which is also flexible was a key focus for this transformation, the company said. Constant evaluation and precise determination of each ingredient’s contribution have enabled the formulation of highly precise diets to maximize profitability. This approach also offers the flexibility of nutritional plans tailored to the unique reality of each shrimp farmer, taking into account farm characteristics, levels of technology, seasonal challenges, and production goals.
In terms of Ingredients, the new Aquaxcel offering includes the development of new functional ingredients to address the key challenges shrimp farmers face today in their pursuit of greater efficiency and profitability: accelerated growth, high survival rates, optimal health, improved oxidative stress management, efficient osmoregulation, and better sanitary conditions. Additionally, the use of raw materials that enhance digestibility, attractiveness, and palatability has been reinforced.
In the Manufacturing pillar, the focus is on a top-tier production process with strategic investments in optimizing the pre-cooking of ingredients to ensure shrimp receive maximum nutritional value. Additionally, the physical specifications of the feed have been refined to maximize efficiency in acoustic feeding systems.
New portfolio
The new value proposition of Aquaxcel for the Ecuadorian market includes five product lines designed for high performance, tailored to different farming systems, challenges, levels of technology, and producers' goals: Active, Advance, Rapid, Maxima, and Adapt.
- Aquaxcel Active, a base line for the growth stages, offering a balanced mix of nutrients for optimal shrimp development.
- Aquaxcel Advance, advanced nutrition adapted to producers' performance and productivity goals, featuring excellent nutritional balance and highly digestible ingredients.
- Aquaxcel Rapid, advanced nutrition tailored to the performance and productivity goals of shrimp farmers, with a superior balance of nutrients and highly digestible ingredients.
- Aquaxcel Maxima, a line that maximizes shrimp farming efficiency, designed with precise nutrition for the entire production cycle, functional ingredients to promote shrimp health and an ion balance that adapts to any salinity level or ionic imbalance, ideal for highly technical farms.
- Aquaxcel Adapt, a holistic approach to shrimp care in the face of environmental or health challenges, with specialties such as Osmo for ionic imbalance or low salinity conditions, and Shock to combat extracellular bacterial diseases like vibriosis.
Cargill's new Aquaxcel portfolio will be available in the Ecuadorian market starting in November.
