Mulazzani, L., Madau, F. A., Pulina, P., & Malorgio, G. (2021). Acceptance of insect meal in aquaculture feeding: A stakeholder analysis for the Italian supply chains of trout and seabass. Journal of the World Aquaculture Society, 52(2), 378-394.
Important: While based on the work performed by the above researchers, this article is a unique piece of content created by Intersect, designed to offer a summary of important takeaways for busy readers.
Introduction
This paper examines the potential use of insect meal as a substitute for fishmeal in aquaculture feeds, with a focus on the Italian market.
Key points:
- It discusses the need for alternative protein sources in aquaculture due to limited seafood resources.
- Insects are highlighted as a promising substitute, as they can be produced using organic waste with a small ecological footprint. The EU has taken steps to authorize the use of insect-derived products in aquaculture feeds, and the sector is in its early stages of development.
- The paper aims to assess the technical and economic feasibility of using insect meal in feed for two key species, rainbow trout and European seabass.
Factors such as feed conversion ratio, price, and alignment with farm structures and marketing strategies are explored.
Materials and methods
The research employed three questionnaires targeting firms producing insect meal suitable for fish feeding, fish feed producers, and trout and seabass farmers.
Despite contacting nine firms producing insect meal, only two agreed to participate due to information confidentiality concerns.
The study conducted direct semi-structured interviews with technical and executive personnel of two large feed factories in Italy, six trout farmers, and four seabass farmers.
Discussions
This research paper discusses the potential acceptance of insect meal by stakeholders in the aquaculture supply chain, including insect meal producers, feed producers, and trout and seabass farmers.
It identified two levels of indications regarding the acceptance of insect meal:
- Economic feasibility
- Technical feasibility in real-world environments.
Economic feasibility
The economic feasibility is primarily related to the price of raw ingredients, feed conversion ratio (FCR), and the price of the final fish product.
The paper outlines three potential scenarios for fish farmers: maintaining a constant farming period, maintaining a constant fish size, or optimizing for profit.
In a simplified case, the only relevant variable is the price of the feed, and the paper notes that even small increases in feed price can affect the profitability of the activity, especially for trout farmers.
Technical feasibility
The technical feasibility considers the effects of insect meal on factors such as fish health, water quality, and feed performance consistency.
Farmers' beliefs and requirements, as well as large retailer protocols, can also impact the acceptance of insect meal.
The paper suggests that the best initial opportunity for acceptance may be with farms that produce for large retailers who do not allow the use of land animal proteins (LAPs), as insect meal could be a viable alternative.
However, the paper also notes that the success of insect meal feeds would require changes in large retailer protocols to include insect meal as a permitted raw material.
Conclusion
The research paper's conclusions highlight several key points regarding the potential for insect meal to partially replace fishmeal in aquaculture.
First, the paper notes that the availability of fishmeal is a constraint to the expansion of aquaculture, making insect meal a viable option. However, the current price of insect meal is not yet competitive compared to fishmeal or other protein sources derived from land animal products (LAPs).
Italian farmers are generally open to using new feed ingredients, including insect meal, but are cautious due to past negative experiences with new feeding products
Crucial factors in determining farmers' willingness to adopt insect meal:
- Feed price
- Feed conversion ratio (FCR)
- Impacts on fish quality and performance
The paper highlights the important role that large retailers can play, as their acceptance of insect meal-fed fish in their protocols would be pivotal for wider adoption.
Finally, it indicates that insect meal producers and feed producers are confident that insect meal prices will decrease in the coming years, which could help make it more competitive compared to traditional protein sources.
Overall, the conclusions suggest that insect meal has potential as a partial replacement for fishmeal, but further progress is needed on pricing and acceptance by the industry and retailers.
