“Traditionally, aquaculture feeds have been based on crude protein and then on digestible protein,” explains May-Helen Holm, Innovation Director for Salmon at Skretting. “With AmiNova we assess the total amino acid levels that fish ingest, eliminating unwanted excesses and meeting nutritional needs more precisely and efficiently.”
Unused amino acids in fish feed are typically excreted into the water. With AmiNova, Skretting aims to minimise waste, promote fish health and growth, and contribute to a more sustainable aquaculture industry.
“Skretting has a long history of breakthrough innovation. Concepts such as MicroBalance, N3 and FLX have enabled us to reduce reliance on fish oil and fishmeal in feed formulations. We also launched Infinity salmon feed, which is completely marine-free. Once ingredient flexibility was achieved, it was a natural move to focus on precision nutrition to reduce emissions.” – Alex Obach, Director of Innovation at Skretting.
Trial Work
Developing Aminoba was challenging, especially in understanding nutrient utilization and retention in fish. “The formulation concept has been used for other farmed species such as poultry, but not for aquatic animals,” says Holm. “Insights into the exact nutrition of fish are more complex than for terrestrial animals. We conducted multiple growth trials with salmon and trout over several years to gather reliable data on the composition of the ingredients, amino acid utilization and nutritional needs at different growth stages.”
The insights gained from these trials, combined with Skretting’s in-house knowledge and data from the scientific literature, made it possible to develop this precise formula, she told FeedNavigator.
AmiNova has been tested under commercial conditions with selected customers to ensure health and performance are maintained.
“Aminova’s primary goal is to reduce environmental impact and minimise nutrient emissions without compromising fish performance or welfare,” Holm said.
The trials monitored indicators such as growth, feed conversion, pigmentation effects, body composition at different growth stages and nutrient retention. Reductions in nitrogen emissions of up to 25% were recorded in the trials, demonstrating feed efficiency and environmental benefits, she continued.
Launching the market
AmiNova’s formulated feed is expected to be available on the Chilean salmonid market by the third quarter of 2024, with plans to expand to other fish species and regions in 2025.
Holm added: “A new aquaculture feed line for Atlantic salmon featuring Aminoba will be gradually launched over the coming year. In the Mediterranean region, Aminoba is being evaluated in trout feed and will soon be introduced into other feed types. For shrimp, we expect to complete the necessary research and development by 2025.”
