Consumer acceptance after trout trial
INSECT fed trout has been commercialised in France since June of 2018.
‘We’ve seen a strong acceptance of our products by consumers looking for natural and sustainable products,’ said InnovaFeed‘s head of business development, Maye Walraven.
Chloé Phan Van Phi said: ‘In 2018, InnovaFeed launched with
French retailer Auchan the first insect fed trout in supermarkets in collaboration with Skretting and fish farmer Truite Service.
‘Our consumer surveys showed that consumers wanted to know what their fish was fed with and that the risk was to not communicate rather than over communicate.
‘This product has been available and successful for over a year now in 52 Auchan supermarkets in France, with the plan to expand it to the whole French territory in 2020.
‘In terms of taste, organoleptic trials have shown that insect fed fish tasted at least as good if not better than traditional fish on 3 criteria: higher omega-3 content, deeper colour, and a more juicy flesh.’
Elsewhere, InnovaFeed has also helped Dutch fish feed specialist Alltech Coppens launch Midori, the first insect based koi feed.
The floating larvae shaped pellet is designed to mimic the black soldier fly larvae, stimulating the natural feeding pattern of the koi.
Earlier in 2019, InnovaFeed and Le Gouessant Aquaculture also announced a successful 100 per cent fishmeal substitution with insects in rainbow trout feed.
The joint trial, it said, was the first time that 100 per cent of the fishmeal has been substituted by high quality insect protein derived from black soldier fly larvae.
InnovaFeed said: ‘The results of the trial confirm the interest for this innovative source of protein and the potential to totally substitute fishmeal by insect meal in a commercial trout feed.
‘These good results are encouraging us to launch other studies in the future, on other aquaculture species or to further explore the effects of insect meal on fish health.’