CN117015310A

CN117015310A - Aquaculture feed composition comprising char

Info

Publication number: CN117015310A
Application number: CN202280019194.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: P·德尔特; S-C·蔡; G·罗森伦德
Original assignee: Scratin Aquaculture Research Center Co ltd; Trouw International BV
Current assignee: Scratin Aquaculture Research Center Co ltd; Trouw International BV
Priority date: 2021-02-25
Filing date: 2022-02-24
Publication date: 2023-11-07

Abstract

The present invention relates to the field of aquaculture feed compositions and to the field of feeding and farming aquatic organisms including fish such as sea bream and crustaceans such as shrimp. The present invention provides an aquaculture feed composition in the form of pellets having a specific size, comprising a high weight percentage of protein, and comprising a char source. The results show that the aquaculture feed composition has different benefits over prior art aquaculture feed compositions.

Description

Aquaculture feed composition comprising char

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of aquaculture feed compositions and to the field of feeding and farming aquatic organisms including fish such as sea bream and crustaceans such as shrimp. More particularly, the present invention relates to an aquaculture hatchery feed composition that may be suitable for feeding fish larvae and/or shrimp larvae. The present invention provides an aquaculture feed composition in the form of pellets and having a specific size while comprising a high weight percentage of protein and char source.

Background

The background description includes information that may be useful for understanding the invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.

Aquaculture (aquaculture), also known as aquaculture (aquafarm), involves the cultivation of aquatic animals and plants, including algae. Aquaculture is a diverse and rapidly evolving industry that is becoming a growing factor in the supply of protein sources for human consumption.

Hatcheries are places for artificial breeding, hatching and raising throughout the early life stages of animals, particularly fish and shrimp. Hatcheries produce juvenile (larval) and underage (juvenile) fish, shellfish and crustaceans, which can then be transferred to a growing system, such as a fish farm, to reach harvest scale.

One of the challenges of aquaculture relates to the high mortality rates often observed during feeding during the hatchery phase. For example, it has been reported that more than 50% of the juvenile marine fish reared in hatcheries may die in their early life stages. Reducing the mortality of larvae fed at hatcheries can increase overall yield and reduce the cost of aquaculture.

There is a continuing need for further improvements in aquaculture feed compositions. For example, it has been shown that in the case of feed pellets, vitamins and amino acids can rapidly leach from the pellet into water due to the size of the pellet. Improvements in aquaculture feeds intended for early life are expected to lead to better availability of key nutrients and vitamins to the animal, to reduced mortality, to improved feed conversion and/or yield.

Many aquaculture feeds contain fish meal and/or algae meal (meal) as important components. The increasing demand for aquaculture feed in combination with the expected lack of fish meal and/or algae meal is stressing the future availability of adequate, high quality and reasonably priced feed. For this reason, it is important to develop feed compositions that rely on fish meal and/or algae meal but which reduce mortality and/or improve the yield of the aquatic animals raised.

Finally, it is important that the aquaculture feed composition is not only of high quality for the aquatic animals, but it is also important that the aquaculture feed composition can be operated by the breeder in a manner that allows reliable and hygienic provision of aquaculture feed to the aquatic animals. Quality improvement in culture and biosafety management is considered an important factor in reducing disease risk.

However, the development of such aquaculture feed compositions is hampered by the complex interplay between the many different requirements (nutritional and economic considerations, culture, biosafety, biological and physiological considerations, and feed handling characteristics) for high quality aquaculture feeds. This has led to the development of aquaculture feed compositions as an independent technical field with its own specific considerations and requirements and this field can only benefit to a limited extent from the development of other fields such as the field of land animal feed (livestock, pigs and cattle).

In view of this, new products, compositions, methods and uses for aquaculture feed compositions, particularly for feeding early life fish (larvae) and shrimp (larvae), would be highly desirable. In particular, there is a clear need in the art for reliable, efficient and reproducible products, compositions, methods and uses that allow for use in the rearing of aquatic animals, in particular fish and crustaceans such as shrimp, in particular larvae of such animals. It can thus be seen that the technical problem underlying the present invention is to provide such products, compositions, methods and uses which meet any of the above mentioned needs, in particular for use in the rearing of fish larvae and/or shrimp larvae. This technical problem is solved by the embodiments described in the claims and below.

Disclosure of Invention

Limiting

A portion of the present disclosure contains copyrighted material (e.g., without limitation, charts, device photographs, or any other aspect of the present filing, for which copyrighted material is or may be available in any jurisdiction). The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the patent office patent file or records (facsimile reproduction), but has the full copyright whatsoever.

Various terms relating to compositions, methods and uses of the invention, as well as other aspects, are used in the specification and claims. Unless otherwise indicated, such terms should be given their ordinary meaning in the art to which this invention pertains.

Other specifically defined terms should be construed in a manner consistent with the definitions provided herein. Although any methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the testing practice of the present invention, the preferred materials and methods are described herein. For the purposes of the present invention, the following terms are defined below.

As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. For example, a fish larvae or shrimp larvae refers to at least one or more (e.g., 10, 100, 1,000, 10,000, 100,000, etc.) fish larvae or shrimp larvae. In a similar manner, a feed composition in the form of pellets means at least one or more of such pellets.

When referring to a measurable value, e.g., amount, size, etc., the term "about" is intended to encompass a variation of ±20% or ±10%, more preferably ±5%, even more preferably ±1%, still more preferably ±0.1% as compared to the specified value, as such variation is suitable for the compositions provided herein.

The term "and/or" as used herein means that one or more of the recited conditions can occur alone or in combination with at least one of the recited conditions, up to all of the recited conditions.

The term "aquaculture" as used herein refers to the cultivation of (larvae of) aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, mollusks, aquatic plants and algae. In a preferred embodiment, the aquatic animal is a fish or crustacean such as a shrimp. Preferably, the aquatic animal is a larvae, such as fish larvae or shrimp larvae.

Thus, the term "aquaculture feed composition" as used herein refers to a composition comprising one or more nutrients, such as proteins, carbohydrates, such as fibers and/or starches, fats, minerals, and vitamins, intended to sustain the life of aquatic animals, in particular fish or shrimp, in particular fish larvae or shrimp larvae. In the context of the present invention, an aquaculture feed composition may also be referred to as "feed" or "composition" or the like. The aquaculture feed composition must be suitable for feeding the aquatic organisms of the invention, in particular for feeding fish and/or shrimp, in particular fish larvae and/or shrimp larvae. This includes feed compositions suitable for use in water in a manner that can serve as a feed for aquatic animals. The aquaculture feed composition may be suitable as the sole feed for providing nutrition to aquatic animals, or may be combined with other feeds or supplements, or live feeds or Artemia (Artemia).

The term "at least" a particular value as used herein means the particular value or more. For example, "at least 2 (species)" should be understood as the same as "2 (species)" or more (species) ", i.e., 2 (species), 3 (species), 4 (species), 5 (species), 6 (species), 7 (species), 8 (species), 9 (species), 10 (species), 11 (species), 12 (species), 13 (species), 14 (species), 15 (species), … …, and the like.

The term "larvae (larva)", plural "larvae (larvae)" as used herein, refers to different minor forms of an animal, typically prior to metamorphosis to an adult animal, whether aquatic organisms, particularly fish or shrimp. In particular, the term "larvae" as used herein is used to refer to the underage form of a fish or crustacean, such as crustacean larvae, e.g. shrimp larvae, or to fish plankton, more particularly to fish larvae. The skilled person is familiar with the development cycle of fish and/or shrimp and is able to identify the larvae of the fish and/or shrimp.

The term "pellet" as used herein is used interchangeably with the term "granule" and refers to a particle comprising an aquaculture feed composition. In other words, the aquaculture feed composition is formed into relatively large shaped pellets. Pellets may be obtained by compression techniques, while pellets may alternatively be obtained by, for example, extrusion and additional use of binders that hold the various components of the aquaculture feed composition together. The pellets themselves may also comprise smaller particles of either the same size or different sizes. The pellet may have any form, for example it may be round, oval, square or elongate (fine particulate). For example and in a preferred embodiment, the pellets are obtainable by extrusion, i.e. by the extruder, i.e. by the following method: in this method, a blend of materials is conveyed through a cylinder by the action of one or more rotating screws, then the material is pushed through one or more holes and cut into smaller fractions. In other words, the pellets may be extruded pellets. If the process is carried out at a temperature above the boiling point of water, the pellets may be referred to as cooked extruded pellets.

The term "protein" or "crude protein" as used is interchangeable and refers to the amount of protein contained in an aquaculture feed composition. Crude protein depends on the nitrogen content of the feed protein and crude protein measurement is common in the fields of animal farming and feed science. One well known method commonly used in the art is the Kjeldahl method (see, e.g., AOAC, 2000). In animal feed, the crude protein is calculated as mineral nitrogen x 6.25 (assuming that the protein of a typical animal feed contains 16% nitrogen on average). Mineral nitrogen values can be obtained by the Kjeldahl method. Thus, "protein" or "crude protein" as used herein refers to the primary term for such nutrients that may exist in a variety of different forms.

The term "fat" as used herein includes fatty acid-containing compounds including, but not limited to, triglycerides, diglycerides or monoglycerides of fatty acids, as well as free fatty acids, and salts and esters thereof. The skilled person knows how to determine the fat content of the composition. Preferably, the fat content of the composition of the invention is the fat content measured after acid hydrolysis, for example the fat content measured by the method indicated herein.

The term "size" as used herein refers to the relative extent of the aquaculture feed composition in pellet/granule form. In particular, "size" as used herein refers to the relative extent of individual pellets/granules of the aquaculture feed composition. For example, a size of 500 microns or less refers to pellets/granules having a maximum diameter of 500 microns or less. In the case where more than one pellet/particle is provided, it is preferred that a substantial portion of all the pellets have a specified diameter, or a smaller diameter. For example, at least 10 wt%, 20 wt%, 30 wt% … … wt%, 75 wt%, 80 wt%, 85 wt%, 90 wt%, 95 wt% of the pellets have a specified diameter, or less. The skilled person is familiar with methods for determining the diameter of the pellets/granules. A non-limiting example is by using a suitably sized screen and collecting the passing pellets.

When referring to weight percent (wt%) herein, this is used to represent weight percent based on the dry weight of the composition referred to (i.e., excluding water content), except where otherwise apparent from the context. As will be appreciated by the skilled person, the composition according to the invention may comprise moisture, for example the composition of the invention may comprise about 3 to 14% by weight of moisture (based on the wet weight of the composition, i.e. on as is), for example about 8% by weight of moisture (based on the wet weight).

Detailed Description

It is contemplated that aspects of any other method, use, or composition described herein may be implemented with any method, use, or composition described herein. Any other method, use, or aspect of the composition described herein may employ embodiments discussed in the context of the methods, uses, and/or compositions of the invention. Thus, embodiments directed to a method, use or composition may also be applied to other methods, uses and compositions of the invention.

As embodied and broadly described herein, the present invention relates to the following unexpected findings: an aquaculture feed composition may be provided which substantially increases the survival rate of fish and/or shrimp, preferably the larvae of fish and/or shrimp, during feeding. Furthermore, it has surprisingly been found that with the aquaculture feed composition a substantial increase in feed intake of fish larvae and/or shrimp larvae can be achieved during the stage of development. In particular, an increase in survival (or a decrease in mortality) and/or an increase in feed intake can be observed compared to standard aquaculture feed compositions.

In the examples which follow, it has surprisingly been found that in the case of the aquaculture feed composition described, the larvae (fish larvae or shrimp larvae) used in the experiment have improved survival relative to the standard aquaculture feed composition on days 15 to 25, for example on days 20, 19, 18 or 17. The feed intake is also improved with the aquaculture feed composition of the present invention at about the same days after hatching of the larvae. An additional interesting effect observed after feeding charcoal is that it has become much easier to distinguish whether the diet has been consumed. The comparison of real-time feeding showed better.

Furthermore, it has surprisingly been found that the aquaculture feed composition of the present invention has physical properties that make it particularly suitable for use as an aquaculture feed composition. The operation of the aquaculture feed composition of the present invention is substantially improved compared to the standard aquaculture feed compositions described previously.

For example, it was found that the foam formation that typically occurs is reduced in spite of the high (crude) protein content in the aquaculture feed composition of the present invention compared to the control feed. Furthermore, it was found that the aquaculture feed composition of the invention (i.e. the aquaculture feed composition as defined herein in the form of pellets) can be released in a constant manner from a device for feeding fish and/or shrimp, in particular fish larvae and/or shrimp larvae. The aquaculture feed composition of the invention also shows improved sieving compared to the aforementioned standard aquaculture feed composition, in other words the pellets of the composition of the invention show improved free flow properties and show substantially reduced clogging of the device for feeding (i.e. feeder). Furthermore, it was found that the buoyancy of the diet with char was altered compared to the buoyancy of a comparable diet without char. Thus, the pellets of the composition of the invention show more particles floating at the surface of the water column. The particles at the bottom are not consumed by and wasted for the larvae, while the particles at the surface eventually will absorb enough water to slowly settle and become available in the water column. This will always result in a sustained and longer particle availability in the water column.

This and more are also exemplified in the examples provided herein.

Thus, according to a first aspect, the present invention provides an aquaculture feed composition in the form of pellets having a size of less than 500 microns and wherein the composition comprises more than 60% by weight protein (dry weight basis) and additionally comprises char. The aquaculture feed composition may be particularly suitable for feeding fish larvae and/or shrimp larvae.

The aquaculture feed composition of the invention is provided in the form of pellets. Thus, the pellet comprises or consists of the aquaculture feed composition.

As defined herein, the pellets have a size of less than about 500 micrometers (μm; e.g., as determined using a sieve). Preferably, the pellets have a size of 10 microns to 400 microns, 50 microns to 350 microns, or 100 microns to 300 microns. Pellets of this size are particularly suitable for feeding fish larvae and/or shrimp larvae.

In the case where more than one pellet is provided comprising the aquaculture feed composition of the invention, preferably a substantial portion of all such pellets have a specified diameter, or a smaller diameter. For example, in some embodiments, at least 10 wt%, 20 wt%, 30 wt%, … …, 70 wt%, 75 wt%, 80 wt%, 85 wt%, 90 wt%, 95 wt% of the pellets have a specified diameter, or less. In some embodiments, more than 70% by weight of the pellets have a size in the range of 100 microns to 300 microns. For example, more than 70% by weight of the pellets may have a size between 0 and 100 microns, a size between 100 and 200 microns and/or a size between 200 and 350 microns. The skilled person knows how the size of the pellets of the present invention can be determined in this field.

The aquaculture feed composition of the invention comprises more than 60 wt% protein. The amount of protein in the aquaculture feed composition is not less than 60 wt%, such as, but not limited to, about 60 wt%, 61 wt%, 62 wt%, 63 wt%, 65 wt%, 67.5 wt%, 70 wt%, 75 wt%, 70 wt%, 85 wt%, or 90 wt%. Preferably, the composition comprises more than about 62% by weight protein. More preferably, the composition comprises less than about 85 wt% protein, less than about 75 wt% protein, or less than about 70 wt% protein. Most preferably, the amount of protein of the aquaculture feed composition is about 60 wt% to 67 wt% protein.

The protein used in the compositions of the present invention may be any type of suitable protein. The skilled person knows that proteins can be used in the context of the present invention. Non-limiting but in some embodiments preferred examples of suitable protein sources include: marine proteins such as fish meal, algae meal, and krill meal; vegetable proteins such as soybean meal, rapeseed meal, wheat gluten, corn gluten, lupin meal, pea meal, sunflower seed meal and rice flour; and slaughterhouse waste such as blood meal, bone meal, feather meal and chicken meal. By mixing different protein sources, a desired amino acid profile (amino acid profile) in the feed can be achieved within limits, which is adapted to the species of aquatic organisms for which the feed is intended.

The aquaculture feed composition of the invention additionally comprises char (which may also be referred to as carbon or coal). Char is a black carbon residue produced by exposing animal or plant material to a strong heat source. Charcoal is known to be used in many different applications, such as fuel, cosmetics, artwork and purification purposes. Preferably, the char used in the present invention is vegetable char. Preferably, the char used in the present invention is not activated carbon (activated coal). Preferably, the char used in the present invention has 75m ² /g to 600m ² Surface area between/g, preferably 150m ² /g to 300m ² Surface area between/g. Preferably, the char used in the present invention has a size between 10 microns and 200 microns. In the char source, preferably, at least 50 wt%, 60 wt%, 70 wt%, 80 wt% or 90 wt% of the char has a surface area and/or size as disclosed herein.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the aquaculture feed composition comprises at least 0.1 wt% char, at least 0.5 wt% char, at least 1.0 wt% char, at least 1.5 wt% char, or at least 2.2 wt% char. Preferably, the composition comprises less than 11% by weight of char or less than 8% by weight of char. For example, the composition comprises about 2 wt% to 8 wt% char, such as about 5 wt% char.

In some embodiments, the aquaculture feed composition of the invention comprises fat. A preferred embodiment of the present invention is that the composition comprises less than 30% by weight fat, preferably less than 27% by weight fat, even more preferably less than 25% by weight fat. Preferably, the composition comprises between 5 and 22 wt.% fat, between 8 and 20 wt.% fat, between 10 and 15 wt.% fat, between 11 and 14 wt.% fat, for example between 12 and 13 wt.% fat. The skilled person knows how to determine the fat content of the feed composition. For example, the fat content of the feed composition may be determined by the NMKL method No. 160. For example, the feed sample may be boiled in dilute hydrochloric acid to facilitate digestion of the protein, liberate bound fat and convert salts of fatty acids to free fatty acids. The digestion solution may then be filtered, and the fat in the filter may be extracted with diethyl ether after the drying process. The solvent may be evaporated and the mass of the dried residue may be determined gravimetrically. The fat content can be calculated from the difference between the initial sample weight and the weight of the sample at the end of the analysis. The fat used in the composition of the present invention may be any type of suitable fat. The skilled person knows what types of fat can be used in the context of the present invention. Non-limiting but in some embodiments preferred examples of suitable fat sources include fish oils, microbial oils, algae oils, and/or vegetable oils such as rapeseed oils and soybean oils. As the skilled person will appreciate, such oils may also be present in powders (e.g. algae powder). By mixing different fats, a desired fatty acid profile in the feed can be achieved within certain limits, which fatty acid profile is suitable for the species of aquatic organisms for which the feed is intended.

In some embodiments, the compositions of the present invention comprise a phospholipid. Preferably, the composition comprises at least 5 wt%, preferably at least 7.5 wt%, preferably at least 10 wt% of phospholipids. The phospholipids are used for fish andand/or nutrients commonly used in (larvae of) shrimp in complete feed compositions (see e.g. EP 1171003). As the phospholipid source, for example, lecithin of vegetable origin, such as soybean lecithin, or lecithin from other oil plants such as sunflower or rapeseed, may be used. The term "lecithin" refers to a lipid mixture in which phospholipids comprise more than 50% by weight of the total lipid. The most abundant classes of phospholipids among lecithins are phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylinositol. The skilled person knows how to determine the phospholipid content in the feed composition. For example by high resolution ³¹ P-NMR spectroscopic methods can determine the phospholipid content in the feed compositions taught herein. This method is officially approved by the International Society of lecithins and phospholipids (International Lecithin and Phospholipid Society, ILPS) and the American Society of fat chemists (American Oil Chemists' Society, AOCS).

Vegetable lecithins also generally contain C18 fatty acids (linoleic acid: 18:2n-6 and linolenic acid: 18:3n-3) from the essential fatty acid series n-3 and n-6, but are generally free of polyunsaturated fatty acids of C20 and C22, in particular arachidonic acid (20:4n-6), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3). Polyunsaturated fatty acids of C20 and C22, in particular arachidonic acid (20:4n-6), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3) may be included in the aquaculture feed compositions of the invention, for example using non-vegetable lecithin as a source.

In some embodiments, the aquaculture feed composition of the invention comprises starch. Preferably, the composition comprises less than 16% by weight starch. More preferably, the composition comprises 0 to 10 wt.% starch. Starch as used in the feed composition of the invention is a chemical agent that is commonly used for binding, thickening, hardening or gluing of materials, for example for binding materials together to form the pellets of the invention. Pellets of an aquaculture feed composition as used herein may comprise starch as a binder. The skilled person knows how to determine the starch content of the feed composition. For example, the methods taught in NEN-ISO 15914:2004 may be used. The method is based on spectroscopy. First, soluble sugars can be removed from the feed composition by extracting the feed with 40% ethanol. Starch can be broken down into its glucose units with 90% dmso and enzyme mixture amyloglucosidase/pancreatin. Glucose can then be measured on a spectrophotometer using a specific glucose oxidase reaction kit. The starch content can then be determined by multiplying the glucose content by a factor of 0.9.

The starch used in the compositions of the present invention may be any type of suitable starch. The skilled person knows what types of starch can be used in the context of the present invention. Non-limiting but in some embodiments preferred examples of suitable starch sources include potato, wheat, tapioca, corn. The starch may be naturally occurring or may be a modified starch.

In some embodiments, the aquaculture feed composition of the invention comprises no more than between 1 to 28 wt% ash, preferably 4 to 22 wt% ash. The skilled person knows how to determine the ash content of the feed composition. For example, ash content may be determined gravimetrically, e.g., based on NMKL method No. 23, third edition, 1991. The percentage of ash can be determined based on: the weight of the sample before combustion, and how much ash (by weight) remains after the sample is combusted at a temperature of 555 ℃ for 17 hours.

In some embodiments, the aquaculture feed composition of the invention comprises docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), preferably docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in the form of DHA-containing algal powder. Preferably, the composition comprises between 0.5% and 3.5% by weight of DHA and/or 1.0% to 11.0% by weight of DHA-containing algae powder. DHA is an omega-3 fatty acid that may be directly derivable from natural sources such as fish oil, algae oil or meal.

In some embodiments, the aquaculture feed composition of the invention comprises 6 to 12 wt%, e.g. 7 to 11 wt%, 8 to 10 wt%, or 9 to 10 wt% of moisture, i.e. water, based on the as is (i.e. based on the total weight of the feed composition).

In some embodiments, the aquaculture feed composition of the present invention is a complete feed composition, i.e. in principle provides all necessary nutrients in order to maintain the life of the aquatic animals for which the composition is intended. However, the aquaculture feed composition of the invention may also be a non-complete feed composition and may for example be combined with other feeds.

In some embodiments, an aquaculture feed composition taught herein comprises protein, fat, carbohydrate, vitamins, minerals, and water. Optionally, the aquaculture feed compositions taught herein additionally comprise antioxidants, attractants, immunostimulatory substances, and/or pigments such as carotenoids, astaxanthin, and the like.

Also provided is a kit (set) of aquaculture feed compositions of the invention, wherein the kit of feed compositions comprises at least a first aquaculture feed composition and a second aquaculture feed composition, and wherein the pellets of the first aquaculture feed composition have a different size than the pellets of the second aquaculture feed composition, optionally wherein the kit of aquaculture feed compositions comprises a further aquaculture feed composition, wherein the pellets of the further feed composition have a different size than the size of the other aquaculture feed compositions in the kit. The first and second (or further) feed compositions of the invention may have the same composition (ingredients), or the compositions may be different. For example, the pellets of the first aquaculture feed composition may have a size (as defined herein) that is less than, nearly equal to, or greater than the size of the pellets of the second aquaculture feed composition.

For example, at least 10 wt%, 20 wt%, 30 wt%, … …, 70 wt%, 75 wt%, 80 wt%, 85 wt%, 90 wt%, 95 wt% of the pellets of the first aquaculture feed composition have a size of less than 400 microns, for example a size between 300 microns and 400 microns, and at least 10 wt%, 20 wt%, 30 wt%, … …, 70 wt%, 75 wt%, 80 wt%, 85 wt%, 90 wt%, 95 wt% of the pellets of the second aquaculture feed composition have a size of less than 300 microns, for example a size between 200 microns and 500 microns. In one embodiment, the kit of aquaculture feed compositions comprises at least two or three aquaculture feed compositions of the invention having different sizes selected from the group consisting of: a feed composition wherein more than 70% by weight of the pellets have a size between 0 and 100 microns; a feed composition wherein more than 70% by weight of the pellets have a size between 100 microns and 200 microns; and a feed composition, wherein more than 70% by weight of the pellets have a size between 200 microns and 350 microns.

The skilled person will appreciate that such a kit of aquaculture feed compositions of the invention is particularly useful when feeding aquatic animals, particularly fish and/or shrimp, over time. Depending on the development of the aquatic animals, different sizes of the aquaculture feed composition of the invention may be used.

The aquaculture feed composition of the invention may be used for any type of aquatic animal, preferably fish and/or shrimp. Preferred fish provided with the composition of the present invention include weever, sea bream, flatfish, seriola (seriola), grouper, meagre and class of Whitefish; preferred shrimps include Litopenaeus vannamei (Litopenaeus vannamei), penaeus monodon (Penaeus monodon), penaeus japonicus (Penaeus japonicus), penaeus Mo Ji (Penaeus merguiensis), penaeus vannamei (Penaeus stylirostris), penaeus japonicus (Penaeus indicus), macrobrachium, and crabs.

The skilled artisan will appreciate that the compositions of the present invention may comprise other ingredients and nutrients in addition to those disclosed above. Non-limiting examples of which include: minerals and vitamins, carotenoids such as beta-carotene, astaxanthin and lutein; a fragrance compound; a stabilizer; an antibacterial peptide; antibiotics, additional polyunsaturated fatty acids; enzymes such as phytase; a nucleotide; prebiotics and/or probiotics.

Also provided are methods of preparing, for example, the aquaculture feed composition of the invention, wherein the method comprises mixing the different ingredients to obtain said aquaculture feed composition, and preparing said composition in the form of pellets.

In particular, the method of preparing an aquaculture feed composition of the invention comprises mixing the ingredients comprising the composition. Mixing may be by any suitable method known to the skilled person. After mixing the ingredients of the present composition, the composition thus obtained may be formed into pellets as defined herein by using any suitable method known to the skilled person. For example, the aquatic feed pellets of the invention may be extruded pellets and such extruded feed pellets may be prepared by the method of the invention. The skilled artisan will appreciate that the pellets of the present invention may also be provided by milling pellets having the composition of the present invention.

Also provided is a method of feeding fish or shrimp, preferably fish larvae or shrimp larvae, wherein the method comprises providing to the fish and/or shrimp one or more aquaculture feed compositions comprising in total more than 60 wt% protein and additionally comprising char, the feed compositions of the invention (i.e. the feed compositions in the form of pellets), and/or a kit of aquaculture feed compositions of the invention. The skilled person knows how to feed the composition of the invention (i.e. said composition in the form of pellets) to fish or shrimp (larvae), for example by using an automatic or non-automatic feeder or the like. The protein and char, and optionally fat, carbohydrates such as starch, vitamins, minerals and the like, may be provided as taught herein in the form of a single aquaculture feed composition, or may be provided in the form of two or more aquaculture feed compositions, one of which comprises at least (a portion of) more than 60 wt.% protein, and the other of which comprises at least char. It will be apparent to the skilled person that the protein may be included in more than one aquaculture feed composition, provided that the total diet provided to the fish (larvae) or shrimp (larvae) contains more than 60 wt% protein. This may also be the case for char.

Also provided is an aquaculture feed composition according to the invention (i.e. the composition in the form of pellets), the use of a kit of aquaculture feed compositions according to the invention for feeding fish and/or shrimp, preferably fish larvae and/or shrimp larvae, and/or for improving feed intake, and/or for improving survival of the fish and/or shrimp. The feed composition of the invention may also be used as a feed for fish and/or shrimp, preferably for fish larvae and/or shrimp larvae, for preventing foam formation when the feed is introduced into water containing fish and/or shrimp, preferably fish larvae and/or shrimp larvae, ready for feeding.

Finally, there is also provided an aquaculture feed composition in the form of pellets having a size of less than 500 microns, and wherein the aquaculture feed composition in the form of pellets is obtained by: mixing at least 60 wt% of the crude protein and char, and optionally other ingredients disclosed herein, preferably in amounts disclosed herein, so as to obtain a non-pellet composition of the invention; and forming the resulting non-pellet composition into pellets having a size of less than 500 microns. Also provided is the use of the compositions of the invention thus obtained as disclosed herein.

Also described are methods of making an aquaculture feed with improved free-flow characteristics, which methods may include mixing an aquaculture feed composition comprising more than 60 wt% protein and additionally comprising char, and forming the composition into pellets. The pellets may form less dust than known pellets and may exhibit higher pellet uniformity, which improves free flow characteristics and reduces clogging in the feeder.

The composition may comprise at least 0.1 wt% carbon, at least 0.5 wt% carbon, at least 1.0 wt% carbon, at least 1.5 wt% carbon, or at least 2.2 wt% carbon. The composition may comprise less than 11 wt% char or less than 8 wt% char. The composition may comprise more than 62% by weight protein. The composition may comprise less than 85 wt% protein, less than 75 wt% protein, or less than 70 wt% protein. The composition may comprise less than 27% fat by weight. The composition may comprise between 5% and 22% by weight fat or between 8% and 20% by weight fat. Each pellet may have a size of less than 500 microns.

Also described is a method of preparing an aquaculture feed with reduced foam-forming characteristics, which method may comprise mixing an aquaculture feed composition comprising more than 60 wt% protein and additionally comprising char, and forming the composition into pellets.

The composition may comprise at least 0.1 wt% carbon, at least 0.5 wt% carbon, at least 1.0 wt% carbon, at least 1.5 wt% carbon, or at least 2.2 wt% carbon. The composition may comprise less than 11% by weight of char or less than 8% by weight of char. The composition may comprise more than 62% by weight protein. The composition may comprise less than 85 wt% protein, less than 75 wt% protein, or less than 70 wt% protein. The composition may comprise less than 27% fat by weight. The composition may comprise between 5% and 22% by weight fat or between 8% and 20% by weight fat. Each pellet may have a size of less than 500 microns.

Also described is a method of preparing an aquaculture feed having reduced settling velocity and/or settling time characteristics, which method may comprise mixing an aquaculture feed composition comprising more than 60 wt% protein and additionally comprising char, and forming the composition into pellets.

The composition may comprise at least 0.1 wt% carbon, at least 0.5 wt% carbon, at least 1.0 wt% carbon, at least 1.5 wt% carbon, or at least 2.2 wt% carbon. The composition may comprise less than 11% by weight of char or less than 8% by weight of char. The composition may comprise more than 62% by weight protein. The composition may comprise less than 85 wt% protein, less than 75 wt% protein, or less than 70 wt% protein. The composition may comprise less than 27% fat by weight. The composition may comprise between 5% and 22% fat by weight or between 8% and 20% fat by weight. Each pellet may have a size of less than 500 microns.

In one aspect, the present disclosure provides a method of improving the feeding of fish larvae and/or shrimp larvae comprising the step of administering to the fish larvae and/or shrimp larvae an aquaculture feed composition as taught herein. More specifically, the present disclosure provides: a method of enhancing the flexibility of weaning (weaning) in a feeding process for fish larvae and/or shrimp larvae; a method for improving the water quality in a feeding process for fish larvae and/or shrimp larvae; and a method of simplifying the operation in a feeding process for fish larvae and/or shrimp larvae, the method comprising the step of administering to the fish larvae and/or shrimp larvae an aquaculture feed composition as taught herein.

In one embodiment, the present disclosure provides methods for increasing survival of fish larvae and/or shrimp larvae; increasing biomass production of fish larvae and/or shrimp larvae; increasing the feed intake of the fish larvae and/or shrimp larvae, and/or the rate of feed intake of the fish larvae and/or shrimp larvae; enhancing weaning flexibility, in particular in feeding of fish larvae and/or shrimp larvae; improving the water quality, in particular in the rearing of fish larvae and/or shrimp larvae; reducing the leaching of feed components into water, in particular in the feeding of fish larvae and/or shrimp larvae; reducing the dust content in the feed, in particular in the feed for the larvae of fish and/or shrimp; reducing the amount of foam formation, in particular in the rearing of fish larvae and/or shrimp larvae; reducing the load of the surface skimmer, in particular in the feeding of fish larvae and/or shrimp larvae; increasing the uniformity of the feed distribution throughout the water, in particular in the feeding of fish larvae and/or shrimp larvae; enhancing free-flowing properties, in particular in the rearing of fish larvae and/or shrimp larvae; reducing clogging of feed in the feeder, in particular in feeding of fish larvae and/or shrimp larvae; and for improving the accuracy and consistency of feed delivery, in particular in the feeding of fish larvae and/or shrimp larvae, the method comprising the step of administering to the fish larvae and/or shrimp larvae an aquaculture feed composition as taught herein.

It will be understood that all details, embodiments and preferences discussed in relation to one aspect of the embodiments of the invention are equally applicable to any other aspect or embodiment of the invention, and thus that it is not necessary to detail all such details, embodiments and preferences of all aspects separately.

Having now generally described the invention, the same will be more readily understood through reference to the following examples, which are provided by way of illustration and are not intended to be limiting of the invention.

Drawings

Embodiments of the invention are further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

fig. 1: survival and biomass at PL12 of shrimp larvae fed on diet with and without char;

fig. 2: percentage of sea bream larvae having diet in the digestive tract as compared to diet without charcoal;

fig. 3: influence of carbon-containing diet on survival rate of sea bream larvae;

fig. 4: effect of char (carbon) containing diet on foam formation;

fig. 5: cumulative feed aggregation in g, which shows the amount of feed that did not pass through the feeder, is a composite plot of increasing feed particle size;

Fig. 6: improvement of the size distribution (μm) during sieving due to carbon addition; and

fig. 7: position of the pellets in the water column after 10 minutes.

Examples

Example 1: preparation of the aquaculture feed composition of the invention. The ingredients of table 1 were ground to an average particle size of 150 microns and extruded to 2mm pellets which were then further crushed/granulated into smaller particles and sieved to the following corresponding sizes: size #0 (< 100 μm), size #1 (100 μm to 200 μm), and size #2 (201 μm to 350 μm). The finished diet has a crude protein content of 62±2 wt%, based on the total weight of the feed composition. The fat content was 12±2 wt%, based on the total weight of the feed composition. The moisture content was 8 wt% based on the total weight of the feed composition.

Table 1: examples of compositions containing fish oil, algae and char (expressed as wt% based on the total weight of the feed composition (including 8 wt% moisture))

Example 2: feed a and feed B prepared in example 1 with size scale <100 μm, size scale 100 μm to 200 μm, and size scale 201 μm to 350 μm were fed manually 21 times per day to penaeus vannamei (p.vannamei) during the developmental stages from flea larvae, furs larvae and PL5, respectively. In addition to the feed of example 1, artemia were fed 6 times per day from the juvenile stage of the furs shrimp up to PL 12. Shrimp were harvested at PL 12. The shrimp were fed at a density of 140 animals/liter in a 60l tank, with each treatment repeated 4 times. The diet was fed manually 21 times per day. Figure 1 shows that for diet supplemented with char, much better survival and biomass yield were obtained at PL 12. Increased biomass production allows for weaning flexibility.

Example 3: the aquaculture feed composition of the invention was tested for feed intake and survival in sea bream larvae (Sparus aurata).

The sea bream test was performed 3 times in a 400l tank. The initial culture density was 40 larvae/liter, with 17-day-old larvae previously fed on rotifers. From day 18 to day 30, fish larvae received either rotifers and diet C or diet D (C and D were similar to diet a and diet B, respectively, of example 1 except that the phospholipid content was 7 wt% instead of 4 wt%, based on the total weight of the diet, and the starch/fiber content was reduced by 1 wt%, while the protein content was reduced by 2 wt%, both based on the total weight of the diet, carbon was included in diet D in an amount of 2 wt%, based on the total weight of the diet). The diets (sizes 0, 1 and 2) were dispensed using an automatic feeder. For diet C and diet D, the latter was adjusted to dispense the same total amount per hour.

Surprisingly, during the period of the first feeding, fish that ingest a diet supplemented with charcoal (diet D) showed a higher incidence of diet in their digestive system, i.e. the number of larvae that ingest the diet increased for diet D compared to diet C, especially at the beginning of feeding a dry diet (fig. 2). Surprisingly, fish larvae receiving diet D containing charcoal showed increased survival throughout the duration of the test (fig. 3; "carbon" compared to "no carbon").

Example 4: a common problem known in the art of aquaculture feed compositions is that a high weight percentage of the protein or crude protein of the composition causes considerable foam formation on the water surface, resulting in additional negative effects on (larvae of) fish larvae and/or shrimp larvae in the water column. Surprisingly it has been found that feeding the aquaculture feed composition of the present invention does not cause, or only to a limited extent causes, foam formation on the water surface, despite the high weight percentage of protein of the feed. The applicant has found that adding a certain amount of an aquaculture feed composition according to the invention to water in a reservoir in which fish larvae and/or shrimp larvae are contained and cultivated, this (almost) does not cause foam formation on said surface, thus eliminating the need for the use of skimmers at the water surface. The results are shown in fig. 4 for a composition of the invention comprising about 2.5 wt% char (carbon) on an as-is basis and a comparable composition without added char. Furthermore, the use of char (e.g., vegetable carbon) in the compositions of the present invention has been found to be advantageous in terms of sieving properties, resulting in a diet that is more uniform in size. It was found that in the feeder, the diet containing char was less viscous and free flowing was higher. This results in a higher output in terms of screening capacity (fig. 5). It has also been found that the aquaculture feed composition of the present invention improves the release of the aquaculture feed composition from the feeders in each feeding situation. It was found that the aquaculture feed composition of the present invention caused less blockage of the feeder during feeding conditions when compared to the aforementioned standard aquaculture feed composition. In one particular embodiment, also as illustrated in table 2 below, the aquaculture feed composition (BD) of the present invention increased the feed dispensing amount (i.e., the release amount (in g) per feeding event) from the feeder by about 10% when compared to the aquaculture feed composition (control) of the prior art but not according to the present invention.

Table 2: dispensing amount of feed (100 μm to 200 μm in size) from feeder

The aquaculture feed composition of the present invention results in better and more constant feed delivery when using an automatic feeding device. Compared to comparable diets without char, diets with char cause less blockage and allow for higher amounts of feed released per feeding event, i.e. allow for increased and consistent feeding. Furthermore, it was observed that the larvae feeds containing char were more evenly dispersed throughout the water. Analysis of the particle size distribution of the particles showed a higher uniformity in size scale obtainable for fish. Furthermore, the diet containing char contained significantly less dust and about 10% more particles available to the fish (see fig. 6). The reduced dust content contributes to a better water quality with less foam formation. In addition, the diet containing char shows reduced leaching of the feed components into the water.

The char in the composition of the invention also affects the physical characteristics of the diet. Surprisingly, the buoyancy of the diet with char was altered compared to the buoyancy of a comparable diet without char. After 10 minutes of settling in a 1 meter long cylindrical column, more particles of the char-containing diet were present at the water surface. The diet without char showed 15% of the particles at the bottom, whereas the diet with char showed more particles floating at the surface of the water column (see figure 7). The particles at the bottom are not consumed by and wasted for the larvae, however the particles at the surface eventually will absorb enough water to settle slowly and become available in the water column. This will always result in a sustained and longer availability of particles in the water column.

Having now fully described the application, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the application can be carried out over a wide range of equivalent parameters, concentrations and conditions without departing from the spirit and scope of the application and without undue experimentation.

While the application has been described in connection with specific embodiments thereof, it will be understood that the application is capable of further modifications. This disclosure is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the disclosure following, in general, the principles of the disclosure and including such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice within the art to which the disclosure pertains and as may be applied to the essential features hereinbefore set forth as follows in the scope of the appended claims.

All references cited herein, including journal articles or abstracts, published or corresponding patent applications, patents, or any other references, are incorporated by reference in their entirety, including all data, tables, figures, and text presented in the cited references. In addition, the entire contents of the references cited in the references cited herein are also incorporated by reference in their entirety.

References to known method steps, conventional method steps, known methods, or conventional methods are not in any way admitted that any aspect, description, or embodiment of the present invention is disclosed, taught, or suggested in the relevant art.

The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the invention that others can, by applying knowledge within the skill of the art, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without undue experimentation and without departing from the general concept of the present invention. Accordingly, such adaptations and modifications are intended to be within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments, based on the teaching and guidance presented herein. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation, such that the terminology or phraseology of the present specification is to be interpreted by the skilled artisan in light of the teachings and guidance presented herein in combination with the knowledge of one of ordinary skill in the art.

Claims

1. An aquaculture feed composition in the form of pellets having a size of less than 500 microns and wherein the composition comprises more than 60% by weight protein and additionally comprises char.

2. The aquaculture feed composition of claim 1, wherein said composition comprises at least 0.1 wt% char, at least 0.5 wt% char, at least 1.0 wt% char, at least 1.5 wt% char, or at least 2.2 wt% char.

3. An aquaculture feed composition according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said composition comprises less than 11 wt% char or less than 8 wt% char.

4. An aquaculture feed composition according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said composition comprises more than 62 wt% protein.

5. An aquaculture feed composition according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said composition comprises less than 85 wt% protein, less than 75 wt% protein, or less than 70 wt% protein.

6. An aquaculture feed composition according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said composition comprises less than 27% by weight fat.

7. An aquaculture feed composition according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said composition comprises 5 to 22 wt% fat, or 8 to 20 wt% fat.

8. An aquaculture feed composition according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said composition comprises at least 4 wt%, preferably at least 7.5 wt%, preferably at least 10 wt% phospholipids.

9. An aquaculture feed composition according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said composition comprises less than 16 wt% starch.

10. An aquaculture feed composition according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said composition comprises 0 to 10 wt% starch.

11. An aquaculture feed composition according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said composition comprises 1 to 28 wt% ash, or 4 to 22 wt% ash.

12. An aquaculture feed composition according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said composition comprises docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), preferably docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in the form of DHA-containing algal powder.

13. An aquaculture feed composition according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said composition comprises 0.5 to 3.5 wt% DHA and/or 1.0 to 11.0 wt% DHA-containing algae meal.

14. Aquaculture feed composition according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said composition additionally comprises defatted fish meal, preferably wherein said composition comprises defatted fish meal and DHA-containing algae meal.

15. An aquaculture feed composition according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said composition is a complete feed composition.

16. A kit of aquaculture feed compositions according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the kit of feed compositions comprises at least a first aquaculture feed composition and a second aquaculture feed composition, and wherein the pellets of the first aquaculture feed composition have a different size than the pellets of the second aquaculture feed composition, optionally wherein the kit of aquaculture feed compositions comprises a further aquaculture feed composition, wherein the pellets of the further feed composition have a different size than the other aquaculture feed compositions in the kit.

17. A method of preparing an aquaculture feed composition according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the method comprises mixing the different ingredients to obtain the aquaculture feed composition, and preparing the composition in the form of pellets.

18. A method of feeding fish or shrimp, preferably fish larvae or shrimp larvae, wherein the method comprises providing to the fish and/or shrimp: one or more aquaculture feed compositions comprising in total more than 60 wt% protein and additionally comprising char; feed composition according to any of the preceding claims 1 to 15; or a kit of aquaculture feed compositions according to claim 16.

19. Use of an aquaculture feed composition according to any of the preceding claims 1-15 or a kit of aquaculture feed compositions according to claim 16 for feeding fish (larvae) and/or shrimp (larvae), and/or for improving feed intake, and/or for improving survival of said fish (larvae) and/or shrimp (larvae).

20. An aquaculture feed composition in the form of pellets, said pellets having a size of less than 500 microns, and wherein said aquaculture feed composition in the form of pellets is obtained by: at least 60% by weight of protein and char, and optionally other ingredients, are mixed so as to obtain a non-pellet composition of the invention, and the obtained non-pellet composition is formed into pellets having a size of less than 500 microns.

21. A method for increasing the survival rate of fish larvae and/or shrimp larvae; increasing biomass production of fish larvae and/or shrimp larvae; increasing the feed intake of the fish larvae and/or shrimp larvae, and/or the rate of feed intake of the fish larvae and/or shrimp larvae; enhancing weaning flexibility, in particular in feeding of fish larvae and/or shrimp larvae; improving the water quality, in particular in the rearing of fish larvae and/or shrimp larvae; reducing the leaching of feed components into water, in particular in the feeding of fish larvae and/or shrimp larvae; reducing the dust content in the feed, in particular in the feed for the larvae of fish and/or shrimp; reducing the amount of foam formation, in particular in the rearing of fish larvae and/or shrimp larvae; reducing the load of the surface skimmer, in particular in the feeding of fish larvae and/or shrimp larvae; increasing the uniformity of the feed distribution throughout the water, in particular in the feeding of fish larvae and/or shrimp larvae; enhancing free-flowing properties, in particular in the rearing of fish larvae and/or shrimp larvae; reducing clogging of feed in the feeder, in particular in feeding of fish larvae and/or shrimp larvae; and for improving the accuracy and consistency of feed delivery, in particular in the feeding of fish larvae and/or shrimp larvae, the method comprising the step of administering to the fish larvae and/or shrimp larvae an aquaculture feed according to any one of claims 1 to 15.