Durham, North Carolina, U.S.A.-based agricultural biotechnology company Arbiom announced that a recent study found its wood-based aquafeed alternative SylPro was effective as a replacement for plant- and fishmeal-based proteins in rainbow trout feed.
The trial, conducted at the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food, and Environment (INRAE), found that the addition of SylPro in fishmeal-free diets improved the performance of the feed. The protein is created using wood that is fermented and then goes through “downstream processing” to be turned into a final product made up of inactive yeast cells.
The study, according to Arbiom, found that SylPro was a “suitable replacement” based on feed converstion ration, growth rate, and body weight gain. Over the course of the study, researchers found “no statistical differences” in mortality.
“The results of the trout feed study are consistent with previous trial results and once again demonstrate the nutritional and functional performance SylPro offers feed formulators. We are eager to follow-up on these findings, especially as they relate to fish health,” Arbiom Senior Vice President of Nutrition and Product Development Ricardo Ekmay said.
Arbiom has been creating a wood-based feed using a bioconversion processing technology that can turn woody biomass into aquafeed. It announced the feed was available for trials in 2018, and since then has had successful trials with hybrid striped bass, Atlantic salmon, and tilapia.
Now, according to INRAE researchers, rainbow trout can be added to the list of species that can be fed Arbiom’s product.
“We are pleased with the results of the trout study conducted in collaboration with Arbiom,” INRAE Researcher Sandrine Skiba said. “In order to enable a sustainable food future, it is critical for science-backed protein sources are available to producers and consumers.”
The results of the latest trial add to the growing momentum behind the company’s wood-based feeds, Arbiom CEO Mark Chevrel said.
“We are confident SylPro delivers significant, consistent, and valuable benefits in terms of improving animal health, human nutrition, production efficiencies, and overall sustainability of our food chain,” Chevrel said. “Arbiom’s latest trial shows consistent commercial product performance of SylPro, and ultimately value for producers and consumers. How we feed our food, including aquaculture-farmed fish, is of critical importance, with significant sustainability implications for producers and society at-large.”
Photo courtesy of Orest Iyzhechka/Shutterstock
