Our approach focuses on developing innovative solutions that improve animal health, enhance immunity, and optimise harvests. Equally important, we are committed to minimizing environmental and social impacts, promoting sustainable practices in the aquaculture industry. Through ongoing research and collaboration, we strive to advance the field of aquafeed and contribute to a more responsible and prosperous future for all stakeholders involved.
The steady growth of farmed animals is largely tied to the animals’ ability to absorb the nutrients from the feed. Adequate and optimally timed feed intake is therefore crucial throughout the farming cycle. Factors like infections, poor pond water quality, inadequate feed quality, unsuitable feeding programs, and weather changes can disrupt feed intake. We work together to provide solutions to these challenges, reducing the impact of pathogen infections and ensuring consistent and optimal feed utilization for the health and growth of farmed animals. These solutions form the framework and building blocks of Grobest 360° Nutrition™, a technology platform that combines a range of functional additives and superior nutrition to optimise animal health and performance.
As an extension from Grobest 360° Nutrition™, we embarked on Project Horizon , an innovative initiative underlining the importance of effective nutrition in helping farmers achieve successful harvests, while avoiding unabsorbed nutrients polluting pond water environs. In Vietnam, we launched our proprietary GROFARM™ model , providing technical expertise to farmers to optimise biomass production.
We remain committed to developing effective solutions to mitigate disease outbreaks, and achieving the right balance between nutrition and immunity in feeding programs. We also aim to incorporate more novel ingredients such as insect meal and single cell protein into our feed products to reduce our reliance on limited types of protein sources. Through technical seminars, training, and dedicated service, our goal is to work with farmers towards more sustainable farming practices.
Alternative Feed Ingredients
Globally, the shrimp industry continues to be one of the major consumers of fishmeal. With rising production levels, it is imperative that we identify and utilise alternative protein sources. Recent research indicates that we can reduce fishmeal levels in shrimp feed without affecting shrimp health or growth. This opens up opportunities for using fishmeal more strategically, alongside other effective protein sources.
We continued our research focused on creating shrimp feeds with reduced fishmeal content, supplementing it with other proteins. Our investigations have identified several viable alternatives, including canola and rapeseed meal, corn-derived proteins and meals, insect meal, single cell proteins, and microbially enhanced proteins.
Plant-based proteins like canola and rapeseed meal have shown potential as fishmeal extenders. Insect meal was another effective fishmeal substitute, although cost and availability pose challenges.
An exciting discovery was the potential of single cell proteins, derived from bacteria such as Clostridium autoethanogenum grown in industrial waste gases or Methylococcus capsulatus grown in methane gas, to replace fishmeal. These single cell proteins have shown to be able to replace some of the fishmeal in shrimp feeds without compromising growth. Going forward, our research will continue to focus on such sustainable and efficient alternatives to maintain our commitment towards an environmentally friendly and economically viable shrimp farming industry.