Spotlight project
Healthier shrimp
It’s well known that seafood is an important part of a healthy human diet. But not all fish and shrimp are created equal. In fact, the concentration of Omega-3 fatty acids varies depending on the seafood you choose to include in your diet. Healthy, farmed seafood are leaner than red and processed meats, with a higher mineral and vitamin content. Research shows that including seafood in your diet has proven health benefits, especially for the heart and brain.
Fish for Health are endeavouring to promote and increase the consumption of farmed fish and shrimp with optimal nutrition levels within the State of São Paulo and Brazil – and as part of these efforts, researchers at the Universidad de São Paulo examined the benefits of including Veramaris algal oil as a replacement for fish oil in shrimp feed.
Their study* showed how increased dietary EPA & DHA resulted in higher Omega-3 (EPA & DHA) levels in the tail muscle of shrimp, opening up opportunities for shrimp producers to improve the nutritional quality of their shrimp products for consumer health. At the same time, the data also showed that the use of algal oil can eliminate the need for fish oil in shrimp feeds because plant-based diets supplemented with algal oil may result in the highest performance, lowest eFCR and improved sensory quality.
These conclusions open up opportunities for healthier shrimp, not just in Brazil, but globally. With the soaring demand for healthy, farmed seafood, Veramaris’ algal oil is a reliable, high-performance alternative source of EPA & DHA in fish and shrimp feed.
* Publication pending
Get the inside story from the project leader
“Outputs from our research nucleus Fish for Health shows the nutritional quality of shrimp raised under high performance can be improved with supplementation algal oils with no loss of sensorial attributes.”
What is the importance of this study for the future of shrimp feed?
This study is playing an important role in demonstrating the importance of alternative sources of Omega-3 in feed formulations. Through our work, we’re able to showcase the use of different feed ingredients and sources of essential nutrients.
What are the wider implications for using Veramaris algal oil as an alternative source of Omega-3?
Using algal oil as an alternative source allows for the diversification of feed formulations for shrimp. This, in turn, has nutritional benefits for shrimp performance and health, which improves the nutrient content of the farmed shrimp.
