Aquaculture is a major consumer of EPA and DHA but it could\r\nalso help fill the supply gap in these fatty acids caused by dwindling fish\r\nstocks and a growing population, suggests a new study.The ...
Aquaculture is a major consumer of EPA and DHA but it could\r\nalso help fill the supply gap in these fatty acids caused by dwindling fish\r\nstocks and a growing population, suggests a new study.
The supply imbalance means 70 percent of the world’s\r\npopulation doesn’t get enough EPA and DHA, nutrients that help reduce\r\ninflammation and prevents heart disease, said the study.
“That can have far-reaching health consequences,” said Helen\r\nHamilton, lead author of the paper, “Systems approach to quantify the global\r\nOmega-3 fatty acid cycle.”
“We can’t take any more fish out of the ocean,” said\r\nHamilton, PhD candidate at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology.\r\n“That means we really need to optimize what we do have or find new, novel\r\nsources. We need to look at how EPA and DHA are produced and consumed by humans\r\nand in the ocean.”
She and co-authors H.A., Newton and R., Auchterlonie\r\nacknowledged that aquaculture’s efforts toward sustainability by replacing fish\r\nmeal and fish oils with plant-based feed meant diminished levels of Omega-3\r\nfatty acids in farmed fish.
They suggest the industry can make strategic use of fish\r\noils in fish feed by feeding these essential compounds to farmed fish at key\r\nlife stages, especially right before the fish will be slaughtered for\r\nconsumption.
A “culture change” in aquaculture may also be in order so\r\nthat fish by-products, such as innards and heads, can be processed into fish\r\nfeed and fish oil. Collection of these “wastes” may be straightforward in the\r\nWest because fish are gutted and processed by industry, unlike in China,\r\nspecifically, where the culture is to filet and gut the fish at home, the\r\nauthors said.
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“Ihe researchers’ analysis also showed that aquaculture\r\nspecies that don’t depend on fish oils in their diet, such as mollusks and\r\ncarp, are major producers EPA and DHA.
Sumber: Aquaculture North America
Ditulis oleh
Tim Minapoli
Kontributor
Pakar di bidang akuakultur dengan pengalaman lebih dari 15 tahun. Aktif berkontribusi dalam pengembangan industri perikanan Indonesia.