BioMar has completed the testing of insect meal in feeds for aquaculture and believe it shows promise as an alternative protein source.
Insect meal could drive the future of seafood (Picture: Mealworm)
This is one among many other novel ingredients like algae oil or single cell proteins that BioMar has been investigating. BioMar believes these raw materials can address some of the needs of the market and are now eager to speed up their adoption through the creation of innovative feed solutions targeting the needs of seafood consumers.
BioMar has been investigating insect meal since 2015 in our Research and Development centres and from 2017 we have been undertaking tests with our customers who have been feeding their fish on diets containing insect meal. These fish have already made their way to supermarkets in Europe among retailers eager to implement future-oriented food solutions that focus on natural foods.
Michel Autin, Technical Director at BioMar’s EMEA Division said: - Innovation of course comes at a cost, but farmers who are the first movers with insect meal will benefit from a strong market position. Insect meal has a future as an alternative protein source in aquaculture feeds if the price of this new raw material can be kept at reasonable limits. - We have good test results on insect meal originating from black soldier flies, mealworms and others, which makes it a promising raw material.
According to research undertaken by Deloitte*, today’s consumers are looking for more than just price, taste and convenience when they are shopping. Consumers are seeking more natural food choices that have a minimal impact on nature. BioMar has the capabilities to offer innovative seafood solutions that will help consumers who are in search for healthy and wholesome “back to nature” products that are also mindful of the environment. This is where insect meal can play a role.
Insect meal is only one of the many innovative raw materials in BioMar’s pipeline. We are recipe creators and we have other game changing ingredients that can be used in crafting innovative feed solutions. What is important here is the ability to identify the opportunities and consumer trends and the capability to craft the solution with the right combination of ingredients and technology.
The raw materials are out there in the market, but it takes knowledge and expertise to design recipes that not only deliver on consumer needs but also produce a healthy fish with good performance. In BioMar, we have invested time and money to create an extensive knowledge bank, and when it comes to innovation, it is our tradition to collaborate with our customers. Now it is time to partner with our customers in order to offer solutions that will drive the future of seafood.
BioMar has initiated a few projects with customers that want to address consumer needs and expectations, to make changes that will shape the future.
– Earlier this year, we have been visiting some customers in France and the next destination will be the Scandinavian countries, Autin tells. - We know that fish farmers from these countries are at the forefront of current developments in consumer behaviour and we have ongoing talks with customers in these areas. We are confident that together, we are going to create innovative feed solutions that match the need for delivering future-oriented food solutions for the consumer seafood market.
*Source: Jack Ringquist, Tom Phillips, Barb Renner, Rod Sides, Kristen Stuart, Mark Baum, Jim Flannery, ‘Capitalizing on the shifting consumer food value equation’, Deloitte, 2016, (US)