BEANS MEANS FEED
Stirling work with a new protein alternative
One of the major challenges in aquaculture nutrition is the replacement of the finite marine ingredient, fishmeal, as the predominant protein source in feeds. Currently, most of the protein in fishmeal has been replaced by protein from soya bean protein concentrate (SPC).
Consequently, in the UK, production of salmon, and pigs and poultry for that matter, is heavily reliant on imported soya products including SPC and soya bean meal, about which there are concerns regarding both sustainability and security of supply.
Therefore, a new, environmentally friendly alternative protein concentrate is desirable. A potential solution to this problem is being researched in a £2.1 million industry led project – Development of protein-rich and starch-rich fractions from faba beans for salmon and terrestrial animal production, respectively, or Beans4Feeds for short.
The four-year project, co-funded by Innovate UK (formerly the Technology Strategy Board), has been running since early 2012 and involves four industrial partners including fish feed companies (EWOS and BioMar), a land animal feed company (Harbro), and a plant breeder/seed