MicroBalance Diets For Brass And Bream

Until now the MicroBalance™ concept was only available in diets for Atlantic salmon.

“MicroBalance™ is a welcome concept for feeds for these major Mediterranean species,” says Umberto Luzzana, Product and Marketing Manager for Skretting Italy and a coordinator for Skretting Southern Europe.

Flexibility

The main benefit Mr Luzzana sees with MicroBalance™ diets is the flexibility the concept provides.

“Our researchers built a bank of data for both species on alternative sources of functional micronutrients conventionally provided by fishmeal. A key benefit is that the wider choice of alternative ingredients brings better options for selecting lowest cost combinations. We can guarantee the digestible nutrient content of a diet is appropriate for efficient growth and optimum fish welfare while varying the levels of raw materials over a much wider range, according to their availability and cost.“

Sustainability

“The origin of each nutrient is not crucial. What is crucial is that the nutrients are present in the correct amounts and are available to be easily digested and utilised by the fish. Furthermore, the flexibility allows us to reduce our dependence on limited raw materials such as fishmeal, thereby improving the sustainability of aquaculture operations.

"This is important from a market perspective as sustainability is high on the agenda of European consumers and retailers, and the industry must demonstrate its commitment," he says.

Mediterranean region

Trout diets formulated using the MicroBalance™ concept will be introduced in the whole Mediterranean region following the completion of the latest validation trials, expected in the next few months.