Acronym SUShI
Category
Aquaculture
Title Sustainable use of insect protein for aquaculture feed Programme Nat. Programme (supported by ESIF)
Instrument (FP6)
Contact Type (FP7)
Strand (Interreg)
NA
Theme (FP7)
Activity Area (FP6)
Regional Area (Interreg)
Action (COST)
NA
Specific Programme (FP7)
NA
Funding source National-European Coordinator Olga MCC Plum Coordinator email NA
Coordinator institution
CESAM - Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (Portugal)
Institutions involved
NA
Start year 2018 End year 2022 Funding (€) € 237,783 Website https://www.cesam-la.pt/projetos/sushi-uso-sustentavel-da-proteina-de-insetos-para-racoes-de-aquicultura/ Summary SUShI aims to contribute to sustainable solutions for the production of marine aquaculture fish, using insects in the formulation of nutritionally adequate feed. To meet the needs of a growing population, it is necessary to sustainably produce sufficient quantities of nutritious food. Aquaculture has been growing, and has apparently contributed to reducing pressure on wild species in line with Blue Growth. However, in the production of carnivorous fish, the scenario is quite different, as they require a diet rich in animal protein and oil. To meet these nutritional requirements, fish meals and oils are used, rich in long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), essential for fish health. Aquaculture's dependence on wild fisheries, as well as awareness about the benefits of PUFA intake for human health, has contributed to the collapse of fish stocks. This precipitated the search for new feed ingredients, mostly of terrestrial origin. However, the composition of long-chain omega-3 fatty acids is low and its production (eg soy) has significant environmental impacts and great volatility in market values. Insects have a high protein content and are rich in other beneficial nutrients, and their production has low environmental impacts. In natural environments, several species of fish feed on insects, however terrestrial insects have a lower amount of PUFA. The SUShI project aims to respond to this challenge using two different approaches. There is evidence that due to their eating habits, coastal and marine insects have a nutritional composition richer in PUFA, making them potentially good candidates for incorporation into feed. SUShI will investigate some endemic coastal insect species in relation to their nutritional composition, in order to develop suitable diets and husbandry methodologies that can be used in aquaculture formulations. It is also known that by manipulating insect diets it is possible to change their nutritional profile. SUShI will investigate whether and how this can be done to produce suitable nutritional profiles for aquaculture fish using black soldier fly larvae. This process will also contribute to better management of organic by-products by local industries using a Circular Economy approach, as these larvae can convert large volumes of organic by-products into value-added biomass. SUShI is expected to contribute to the local aquaculture and fish processing industries through smart specialization that fosters highly skilled jobs.
Keywords
Fish;
Animal feed;
Waste valorization;
Feed composition;
Fish meal replacement;
Bioprospecting;
Fish oil replacement;
Marine Region
0
NA
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