Shrimp fed a ration in which fishmeal was replaced with Calysta’s FeedKind bacterial protein meal showed improved survivability against early mortality syndrome, the results of study by a university in Thailand have shown.
The study, led by Jintasataporn Orapint of the Nutrition and Aquafeed Laboratory, Department of Aquaculture, Faculty of Fisheries, Kasetsart University, in Bangkok, was published 3 November in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science. It theorized that as an inactivated gram-negative bacterial biomass, FeedKind may impart an immune response in shrimp.
“Trials of this novel protein source for replacing fishmeal in shrimp diets have shown that the protein does not affect the growth feed efficiency, or survival of shrimp reared under experimental conditions. Additionally, shrimp in this study demonstrated an increased tolerance to disease when challenged with V. parahaemolyticus, the causative agent of early mortality syndrome (EMS), indicating methanotroph bacteria meal protein, FeedKind protein, may help promote a robust immune response,” the study reported.
EMS results when the vibrio bacteria, which is transmitted orally, colonizes the shrimps’ gastrointestinal tract and produces a toxin that causes tissue destruction and dysfunction of the shrimp digestive organ. It has caused massive mortalities in Chinese and Southeast Asian shrimp farms since it was discovered in 2009.
In the study, Penaeus vannamei shrimp were fed a variety of diets, from a control diet comprised of traditional fishmeal-based feed, to diets with increasing quantities of FeedKind protein to replace the fishmeal, rates of 33 percent, 66 percent, and 100 percent, up to a total of 15 percent of feed. The shrimp then spent 15 days continuously exposed to the causative agent of EMS, Vibrio parahaemolyticus.
All shrimp on the FeedKind-based diets showed greater survival rates compared to the fishmeal-based feed, from 76.7 percent in the control, to 86.7 percent at 5 percent FeedKind, 96.7 percent in 10 percent FeedKind, and 100 percent in the 15 percent concentration of FeedKind.
Allan LeBlanc, vice president and aquaculture lead at San Mateo, California, U.S.A.-based Calysta, and co-author of the study, said the results show FeedKind could play an important role in improving the health outcomes of farmed shrimp.
“Outbreaks of disease remain one of the biggest challenges in aquaculture today. EMS in particular has caused more than 20 billion dollars in losses to the shrimp industry over the last decade, and disease management and prevention is one of the industry’s highest priorities,” LeBlanc said. “FeedKind’s ability to activate shrimps’ innate immune system could be transformative for the industry. As a key ingredient in functional feeds, it can form the backbone of a comprehensive disease prevention strategy for farmers, all while improving animal health and increasing yield.”
Another Calysta Director for Norway Jarin Sawanboonchun, was also a co-author of the study. The other authors declare no conflict of interest.
Calysseo, Calysta’s joint venture with Adisseo, is building a commercial-scale FeedKind production facility in Chongqing, China for supply to Asia. They plan to produce 20,000 metric tons (MT) beginning in 2022, with a second phase of development boosting capacity to 80,000 MT. Investors in Calysta include oil company BP, Adisseo, and Aqua-Spark.
Photo courtesy of Calysta
