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Aquaculture Magazine reports:
Skretting Italy has decided to use microalgae oil potential in its products. The reason is that this ingredient is emerging as a promising resource, as it can enrich feed with essential nutrients and optimize the nutrition of farmed fish. Seaweed oil has already been in Skretting‘s product lines since April this year.
According to Skretting, compared to the oils traditionally used in fish feed, such as fish oil, microalgae oil offers several benefits as environmental sustainability, food safety and flexibility in formulations
“Although the benefits are many, the use of microalgae oil still presents some challenges, among them the efficiency of production processes and the resulting high production costs,” said Diego Bazzoli, Formulist at Skretting Italia. “But research continues, so we expect that many of the current obstacles can be overcome in the future,” he added.
An ideal ingredient to use in fish food
Microalgae are microscopic organisms found in a variety of aquatic environments, such as seas, lakes, rivers and ponds, and play a crucial role in these ecosystems due to their photosynthesis capacity. They are rich in essential nutrients, including omega-3 fatty acids but also vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. It is precisely this characteristic that makes them an ideal ingredient to use in fish food.
The microalgae occupy the lowest level of the marine trophic chain and are responsible for the synthesis of omega-3 fatty acids. Using microalgae directly in feed is therefore the most efficient way to obtain the omega-3 that fishes need, such as Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA).
Another benefit of using microalgae oil in fish feed is the food safety: environmental contaminants can accumulate along the trophic chain. Seaweed oil, being at the base of this chain, presents a lower risk of contamination than fish oil. Finally, more flexibility in formulations: this ingredient allows the composition of the diet to be adapted to different species-specific needs and growth stages.
One of the many pieces of the mosaic
“The use of microalgae oil, as well as the use of any other innovative ingredient that can influence the reduction of dependence on marine resources, is one of the many pieces of the mosaic that will help us achieve our sustainability goals and preserve natural resources for future generations,” commented Umberto Luzzana, Marketing Manager of Skretting Italy.
As they say, the international company is constantly looking for innovative solutions that can improve the quality of fish feed while ensuring environmental sustainability and animal welfare.
Saving an estimated 16 tons of plastic by 2024
In the other hand, Skretting Italia has adopted new bags that will allow them to save an estimated 16 tons of plastic in 2024, of which 10 tons will be virgin plastic. Reducing the consumption of plastic, in particular this virgin plastic, has been the subject of a project that has led Skretting to collaborate with their suppliers in recent years.
After verifying conformity with regulations and carrying out a risk assessment approved by the veterinary control authorities, Skretting Italia introduced the first PE bags with at least 50% post-industrial recycled content (PIR) from traceable sources in 2022. In October 2023, they then took a further step by ordering the first bags with at least 60% PIR.
“Based on the expected consumption in 2024, we estimate that by reducing the thickness of the bags and increasing the PIR content we will save about 16 tons of total plastic and about 10 tons of virgin plastic. We hope to continue this work and set ourselves the ultimate goal of achieving a bag with 85% of PIR,” said Adamo Caldori, Purchasing Responsible of Skretting Italia.
To further lower the environmental impact of the packaging, they worked in parallel on reducing the amount of plastic material used, achieving a reduction in bag thickness of almost 40% compared to the early 2000s.
“The path to sustainability is long and full of challenges, but we are proud of the achievements we are making thanks to the constant commitment of our team and the cooperation of our suppliers”, they said. Packaging sustainability is a priority issue for Skretting, so its team is always looking for new opportunities to reduce our environmental footprint, in line with the Sustainability Roadmap 2025.
