Krill: The Ocean’s Answer to Sustainability

-Known for their innovative work with Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba), Norwegian feed\r\nIngredient company Aker BioMarine are pioneering the way forward for\r\nsustainable, efficient and resourceful feed for all types of marine creatures.\r\nTheir solution? QRILL Aqua.
\r\nThe QRILL Aqua family of products are exclusively made up from Antarctic krill,\r\nharvested from the Southern Oceans. In 2018 alone, Aker BioMarine contributed\r\nto 325 million extra servings of seafood with their innovative QRILL Aqua line.
\r\nRecent statistics suggest that only three percent of the population has\r\nsufficient levels of omega-3 fatty acids, a resource which also isn't easy to\r\nattain with concerns over the sustainability of fishing being highlighted more\r\nand more. Krill is a species here to fix that, rich in omega-3s and a\r\nsustainable solution to the world's protein needs.

What makes krill so\r\nspecial?
\r\nAs more research is undertaken about krill benefits, it is becoming more and\r\nmore recognised as the wonder ingredient of the sea. Krill boasts a huge\r\nvariety of benefits and it is clear to see why Aker BioMarine have invested so\r\nmuch in this wonderful species.
\r\nHigh in protein and omega-3 fatty acids(as well as omega-6 fatty acids) krill\r\nis a pelagic crustacean with a biomass on earth of approximately 500 million\r\ntonnes, making it one of the most populated species on the earth. The\r\nCommission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR)\r\nhas restricted harvesting of Antarctic krill to one specific region in the\r\nSouthern Ocean, and annual krill harvests cannot exceed one percent of their\r\ntotal biomass in this particular area, but this still enables companies to\r\nharvest more than enough krill to supply feed to all forms of life, whilst also\r\nensuring that krill as a species remains in bountiful quantities and safely\r\nmaintained.
\r\nAker BioMarine ensure to take sustainability very seriously, being the\r\nfirst krill fishery in history to receive the Marine Stewardship\r\nCouncil (MSC)'s certification in 2010 and 2015, each certification lasting five\r\nyears. The Sustainable Fisheries Partnership, who also analyse fisheries for\r\nthe sustainability of their fishmeal and fish oil, has for five years in\r\na row granted their Atlantic fishery an 'A-rating'.
\r\nKrill feed provides a great deal of direct benefits to fish and shrimp that\r\nmakes it very attractive as a feed solution. Krill feed is proven to improve growth\r\nand yield in both fish and shrimp, thanks to its digestible peptides and\r\nomega-3 fatty acids bound to phospholipids. Various studies have also been\r\ncarried out which show evidence to support krill feed reducing mortality rates\r\nand improving heart health in salmon.
\r\nAnother valuable feature of krill is that they contain the antioxidant\r\nastaxanthin, which has anti-inflammatory properties, counteracting oxidative\r\nstress and preventing damage to DNA, lipids and proteins. In addition,\r\nastaxanthin provides the pigmentation Choline is also contained in krill which\r\nis crucial for digestive functions, heart, liver and one's cognitive health.

QRILL Aqua
\r\nDesigned for fish and shrimp, QRILL Aqua is Aker BioMarine's iconic range of\r\ningredients consisting primarily of krill. All the benefits mentioned\r\nabove are transferred directly to the fish upon consumption of QRILL Aqua, and\r\nmost omega-3s in the feed go directly to the end consumer, ensuring both\r\nhealthy fish and healthy humans.
\r\nQRILL Aqua is made up from ground whole Antarctic krill, which is cooked and\r\ndried into a brown-orange powder containing approximately 60 percent protein,\r\nalong with a balanced amino acid profile. The final composition also includes\r\nsix percent water, 11 percent ash and roughly 25 percent fat, which consists of\r\nthose helpful phospholipids (40%), omega-3 fatty acids (20%), EPAs (10%), DHAs\r\n(5.5%) and omega-6 fatty acids (2%).

For fish
\r\nAker BioMarine has a strong research focus and has conducted several studies on\r\nthe effects of QRILL Aqua on both fish and shrimp, resulting in some very\r\npositive feedback. In their trials of QRILL Aqua on fish, they discovered a\r\nvariety of results:

In European sea bass (Dicentrarchus\r\nlabrax) juveniles, liver cells of krill meal fed fish presented lower\r\nvacuolization levels and in general, lower signs of fat accumulation.

Gilthead sea bream (Sparus\r\naurata) juveniles fed nine percent krill meal had a reduction in the\r\naccumulation of lipid droplets in their hepatocytes and around the pancreatic\r\nislets

In Nile tilapia (Oreochromis\r\nniloticus) juveniles, a growth rate increase of 32 percent was achieved\r\nthrough feeding them 1.5 percent dietary krill meal, compared to the control\r\ngroup

Atlantic salmon (Salmon\r\nsalar) postsmolts fed krill meal grew on average 174 g more during the\r\npre-harvest phase and four-to-five percent more fillet yield was achieved upon\r\nharvest Olive flounder (Paralichthys\r\nolivaceus) juveniles fed a nine percent krill meal diet showed a higher\r\nsurvival against bacterial infection with Edwardsiella tarda.

For shrimp
\r\nA variety of tests were also conducted on shrimp fed with QRILL Aqua, with\r\nsimilarly positive results:

A diet with 3 percent krill meal was the most\r\neffective in increasing shrimp final body weight and yield in L. vannamei when\r\ncompared to other marine feed attractants.Compared to one percent dietary krill\r\nmeal inclusion, yield was increased by 17.6 percent when Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) were fed two\r\npercent krill meal

Replacing parts of fish meal with krill meal in shrimp diets\r\nresulted in seven percent savings in grower feed

Pacific white shrimp also displayed increased tail\r\npigmentation when fed astaxanthin krill oil.

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Innovating for the\r\nfuture
\r\nAlthough Aker BioMarine is undoubtedly doing very well for themselves and\r\nproving to be great experts in the field of krill feed, they want to continue\r\nto innovate and learn more about how to further improve their products. To\r\nfurther this goal, Aker BioMarine established the Open Innovation Programme, a\r\nchance to team up with Aker BioMarine's skilled team of scientists to further\r\nstudy and develop the future of krill feed and sustainability.
\r\nThe company welcomes with open arms people who think they have some great\r\ninsight into new topics and ideas to explore and research and offer the brilliant\r\nopportunity to research, develop and commercialise new solutions for the\r\nindustry.
\r\nThis unique opportunity will no doubt help discover even more about this unique\r\nspecies and showcases Aker BioMarine's dedication to a sustainable\r\nsolution for the aqua feed industry.

Source: aquafeed.co.uk