The performance potential of the feed heavily depends on process knowledge
Process knowledge determines the feed's performance potential.
Fish feed is a concentrated package of nutrients and energy designed to provide farmed fish with rapid, healthy and cost-effective growth, with prime quality end products. Process conditions in feed production have a very strong impact on the feed's structure and physical properties. This in turn affects the intestinal health of the fish and access to nutrients in the pellet. In particular, the robustness of the feed is dependent on handling, storage and implementation of the process conditions.
- BioMar Retention Technology (BRT) focuses specifically on nutrition related to technology, the production process, physical quality and storage stability
- BRT integrates all of BioMar's knowledge about nutrition, technology, processes and pellet quality
- The BRT knowledge package will ensure the maximum performance potential is derived from the feed formula, with the focus on all stages in the production chain, raw material – process – feed – feeding – fish
The performance potential in feed is complex
The feed's performance potential is not just a product of the formula, i.e. the nutrients and energy. Over recent years, research and development work in this area has show that performance is heavily influenced by several factors in the production process. The process parameters in feed production have both a direct and indirect effect on several crucial factors for successful fish production.
- Physical quality and storage stability of the feed
- The intestinal health and nutrient intake of the fish
- The retention of nutrients
Balance is important
High performance is achieved by optimum balance between important features of the feed.
- Physical pellet quality that is stable in terms of both handling and storage
- Quality that ensures good intestinal health
- High retention of nutrients in fish with corresponding growth
BRT PERFORMANCE
BioMar has put in place “state-of-the-art” knowledge regarding process effects on performance in all its production facilities. Against the background of steadily increasing documentation, it is our claim that high process competence and control creates the foundation for a range of benefits.
- Increased growth
- Lower feed factor
- Less fat gulping with trout
- Avoidance of undigested pellets with salmon
- Less mechanical feed waste during transport, handling and feeding
- Physically robust feed during storage
BRT represents a fine-tuning of the process for specific objectives
From the perspective of nutrition and raw materials, fish feed formulas have evolved substantially since fish farming became a major industry. New process knowledge is being produced continuously, and this competence provides new opportunities for process control with specific objectives in mind, for example
- Trout and salmon have different requirements in terms of process parameters and physical quality of the feed
- Trout and salmon products can look similar in the declaration, but are very different in a process context
- New species are being farmed, for example cleaner fish, and physical feed characteristics can be crucial for feed intake and nutrient utilisation
BRT requires an advanced control system
When the process is being fine-tuned with specific objectives in mind, an extensive control system is required. At BioMar, this is called Product Performance Control. Our quality system can accommodate many different aspects for control and corrective measures.
Quality control of raw materials
- Comprehensive analysis of raw material content
- Digestibility measurements and trials
- Control of critical amino acids
- Dynamic corrections and adjustments
Feed formulation, continuous optimisation
- Open formulation based on updated performance models, including BioMar Performance 3 Model (Best Economic Performance)
- Process control with continuous parameter monitoring for correct balance between chemical reactions in multi-component mixes in the extruders
- Inline NIR analyses of raw materials and feed composition.
- Inline analyses of a range of physical quality parameters
Finished product control
- Control of robustness of pellet quality
- Test of storage stability
- Land-based test lab for effects in feeding systems
BRT - Continuous integration of areas of competence
BioMar integrates all our areas of competence with respect to raw materials, nutrition, technology, process and pellet quality in a continuous process. With BRT we bring out the maximum performance potential from each feed formula.
