According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), global fish supplies are expected to reach 201 million tonnes by 2030. Of this, aquaculture production is anticipated to account for 109 million tonnes, marking a 36% increase compared to the 80 million tonnes produced in 2016. As aquaculture continues to expand, reliance on fishmeal remains significant, yet the industry faces numerous challenges. The demand for fishmeal is growing faster than its supply, causing prices to rise. For instance, the average price of fishmeal was around USD400 per tonne in 1983 but has surged to USD1,600 per tonne in recent years. In contrast, the price of soybean meal has increased at a much slower rate over the same period. Additionally, the availability of high-quality fishmeal, made from whole fish with lower ash content, is dwindling due to declining wild fish catches, which directly affects the supply for aquaculture. Moreover, using this resource in the long term is considered unsustainable.
As our primary source of fish protein shifts from wild-caught fish to aquaculture, it becomes crucial to ensure that farmed fish receive complete and balanced nutrition through formulated feeds. Intensifying aquaculture practices further reduces dependence on natural feeding, emphasizing the importance of high-quality feed ingredients and advanced processing techniques. Among these, thermal processing or cooking, which involves subjecting raw materials to high temperatures, is the most common method. While cost-effective and straightforward, this approach can degrade proteins, reducing the digestibility and nutritional value of amino acids. Studies show that prolonged exposure to high temperatures leads to poorer nutrient retention.
Chemical hydrolysis, another prevalent method, includes both acid and alkaline treatments. This process subjects raw materials to extreme pH changes, offering a low-cost alternative but with notable drawbacks. Acid hydrolysis is often employed to enhance flavor, though it can partially destroy certain amino acids like tryptophan. Alkaline hydrolysis proves even more damaging to amino acids, and it also raises the ash content of the final product due to the introduction of additional substances.
Figure 1. Peptide bond enzymatic hydrolysis scheme.
Enzymatic hydrolysis, on the other hand, operates under mild conditions—low temperature and pressure—and avoids amino acid degradation. This method enhances protein digestibility and amino acid availability, making it a more efficient choice. Enzymes also offer precise control over the degree of peptide bond hydrolysis, ensuring consistent final products. Compared to thermal processing, enzymatic hydrolysis requires less energy and steam, contributing to sustainability and cost efficiency.
Enzymatic hydrolysis plays a key role in generating bioactive peptides, which confer various functional benefits. Proteins, composed of 20 different amino acids linked by peptide bonds, are broken down into smaller peptides through hydrolysis. When the molecular weight of these peptides is low, they are classified as bioactive peptides, capable of exhibiting antimicrobial, antioxidant, antihypertensive, and immunomodulatory activities. These peptides are essential in animal nutrition, promoting health and improving growth rates.
Through enzymatic hydrolysis, bioactive peptides can be produced by breaking down intact proteins. This process involves enzymes accelerating reactions using water to split molecules. In the case of proteins, this generates smaller chains of amino acids (peptides), which are easier for animals to absorb than intact proteins. Consequently, animals expend less energy on digestion, allowing more resources to be directed toward growth, weight gain, and immunity.
The efficacy of enzymatic hydrolysis depends on multiple factors, including the animal's age and the protein's form. Mature animals typically absorb nutrients more effectively than younger ones, so hydrolyzed proteins are more readily absorbed than intact proteins. Beyond improving nutrient absorption, enzymatic hydrolysis also generates bioactive peptides. Extensive research is underway to identify optimal enzymes and conditions for specific raw materials, as the bioactivity of peptides can vary depending on the enzyme used.
Raw materials yield unique peptides with specific bioactivities, such as immunomodulatory and antimicrobial effects. These peptides hold immense potential for enhancing animal nutrition, offering diverse applications for protein hydrolysates. BRF Ingredients has pioneered a novel enzymatic hydrolysis process, yielding superior ingredients that boost animal performance. After hydrolyzing raw materials, nearly all solids are removed through filtration, reducing ash content to approximately 4% and concentrating protein content to over 75%, with a digestibility exceeding 90%. The process ensures consistent parameter stability, with most proteins existing as small peptides below 3 kDa, the range associated with higher bioactivity.
BRF Ingredients' commitment to traceability and freshness extends to its raw materials, thanks to its fully integrated structure. In vivo trials with tilapia demonstrate impressive results. Protein digestibility reached 93.61%, and adding 2.5% chicken protein hydrolysate to tilapia feed in early stages boosted final weight by 23% compared to the control group with 10% fishmeal. Adding 3% protein hydrolysate also enhanced gut health, increasing villi count by 49%. For adult tilapia, incorporating 2.7% protein hydrolysate into feed increased fillet yield by 6% and positively impacted plasma lipid profiles, reducing triglycerides and VLDL while elevating HDL levels.
Similar outcomes were observed in Vietnamese trials where 2% protein hydrolysate replaced 5% fishmeal without compromising growth performance. This switch offers ingredient stability, cost predictability, and no significant formulation expense. In shrimp feed trials, enzymatic hydrolysates demonstrated 94% protein digestibility, improving final weight by 7% and feed conversion ratios by 14.3% compared to salmon meal controls. Challenge tests revealed reduced mortality rates by 20-50% in shrimp fed hydrolysate-enriched diets when infected with Vibrio bacteria.
Shortages in critical ingredients drive innovation in aquaculture, fostering smarter solutions. Bioactive peptides and hydrolysate proteins continue to unlock benefits across industries, from medicine to animal nutrition. In a competitive market, embracing these advancements ensures greater efficiency and profitability. The future of aquaculture lies in embracing cutting-edge technologies and processes that optimize performance and sustainability.
Authors: ThaÃs Costa Andrade, R&D Specialist, and Wilson Rogério Boscolo, R&D Consultant, BRF Ingredients Brazil.
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In plastic mixing, a plastic additive that improves the interfacial properties of a synthetic resin with an inorganic filler or reinforcer. Also known as surface modifier. It can reduce the viscosity of the synthetic resin melt and improve the dispersion of the filler to improve the processing performance in the process of plastic processing, so that the product can obtain good surface quality and mechanical, thermal and electrical properties.
Its dosage is generally 0.5 ~ 2% of the dosage of filler. Coupling agent is generally composed of two parts: one is the inorganic group, which can interact with the inorganic filler or enhance the material; The other part is the organophilic group, can interact with the synthetic resin.
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