CORPORATE NEWS
WITH APPOINTMENT OF DR FABIO SOLLER
Diana Aqua strengthens technical support in Asia-Pacific
Diana Aqua has announced the appointment of Dr Fabio Soller as technical director for Asia-Pacific.
Diana Aqua said part of Soller's main responsibilities is increasing the company's market footprint and supporting the business expansion through his technical and scientific skills.
Based in Bangkok, Soller is the referent for fish and shrimp technical support for Aquativ activity in Asia-Pacific. He also provides scientific communication linked to the benefits of Aquativ products.
Soller received his PhD in Aquaculture Nutrition from Auburn University, USA, in 2012. He has been involved in aquaculture through farm management, research, feed manufacturing support and teaching for 18 years.
He started as regional manager and technical sales at Cargill, USA, before taking the position of director of the aquatic feeds & nutrition department at the Oceanic Institute in Hawaii.
Diana Aqua, which is part of Diana, a division of Symrise AG, develops and delivers advanced natural and sustainable functional marine ingredients for aquaculture enhancing the nutrition and health of farmed fish and shrimp. Its ranges of products are distributed under the Aquativ brand.
SHARES RESULTS OF SHRIMP FEED SURVEY
Nutriad a proud sponsor at Aquafeed Horizons Asia 2018
Nutriad, pioneer in species-specific feed additive solutions for aquaculture, was one of the sponsors of the 11th Aquafeed Horizons Asia 2018 (Advances in Aquafeed Processing & Formulation Workshop), which took place in Bangkok recently.
The conference, which attracted major aqua players from Asia, as well as producers from Europe, the US and Australia, had Dr. Peter Coutteau, business unit director with Nutriad, as one of the speakers. He talked on "Balancing Nutrient Levels through the Application of Functional Additives".
Coutteau shared the results of a survey organised by Nutriad in India in 2016, which analysed nutrient levels of commercial shrimp feeds. The study sampled eight commercial brands of shrimp feeds and analysed a number of key nutrients including proximate composition, amino acids, fatty acids, cholesterol and phospholipid levels. The analyses revealed the general lack of standardisation of nutritional standards in the shrimp feed industry, showing high variability in nutrient levels among different commercial feeds.
Furthermore, the study indicated that the industry is responding to the increasing scarcity of fish meal and fish oil by reducing the levels of cholesterol and n-3 highly unsaturated fatty acids, whereas compensating this with increasing levels of phospholipids.
"The increasing cost of essential nutrients such as cholesterol and n-3 HUFA, which cannot be synthetised by shrimp, offer good opportunities for some of our digestive enhancing feed additives which have been designed specifically for shrimp to improve the digestion and absorption of essential fats. This is far more cost-effective than to supplement with expensive sources of n-3 HUFA and cholesterol", said Coutteau.
Nutriad delivers products and services in over 80 countries through a network of own sales offices and distributors. It is supported by four application laboratories and five manufacturing facilities on three continents.
'SUSTAINABLE AND PLANT-BASED
New Wave Foods invents shrimp from algae
Shrimp made from algae? Take it from New Wave Foods, based in the US.
The company says the new product is a sustainable plant-based shrimp made from algae and other natural ingredients with no animal (or sea animal) products.
The ingredients include soy-based protein. Other protein sources are being tested for future iterations, New Wave Foods says, adding: "The ingredients are natural, Kosher, non-GMO and vegan-friendly", it says.
Moreover, the algae used are "clean, ocean-sourced and farmed micro and macro algae".
"With our new shrimp product, we're taking the middle man out and putting a new product on the market that is delicious, innovative, and sustainable", New Wave Foods CEO Dominique Barnes told Deli Market News in an interview.
She said, "Some people that try our shrimp can't believe it's not conventional shrimp, which is great because that means we're hitting our target. We're trying to accomplish something that has never been done before, and it's exciting that people are responding positively".
MILLENNIAL HIRE
Blue Star Foods appoints Jacob Valleau as business development manager
US seafood supplier Blue Star Foods has announced the appointment of Jacob Valleau as business development manager. Jacob joins Blue Star Foods in a Hybrid Role role using his previous experience in sustainable seafood and social media content generation.
Jacob was previously with Rubicon Resources, owned by High Liner Foods.
"Jacob is a millennial, his thought process within responsible seafood meshes very well with what we have set out to do. He is a fantastic addition to our team", said Max Christenson, national director of marketing.
Blue Star Foods said it is introducing new premium seafood items this year to increase its presence in food service and retail.
Blue Star Foods has been innovating the overall company strategy, leading the pace of industry trends, in both food service and retail verticals.
Jacob Valleau BLUE STAR FOODS PHOTO
LAND-BASED SAKMON FARM
Nordic Aquafarms says due diligence nearly complete on Belfast site
Nordic Aquafarms said it has completed nearly all its due diligence on the 40-acre site in Belfast, Maine, USA, where it plans to build a state-of-the-art land-based salmon farm.
Company CEO Erik Heim told area residents at a public information on May 9 that the company would now proceed with pre-engineering and preparing the various state and local permit applications necessary for the company to begin construction next year on the first phase of the project.
"We have confirmed that necessary conditions are in place on the site for our planned aquaculture production, including the availability of clean, abundant and sustainable groundwater from test wells", said Heim. "We now have over 90 percent confidence related to site conditions and requirements and as a result will be moving ahead with engineering and permitting."
Heim reiterated Nordic Aquafarms' commitment to develop a "green" facility with "soft" integration into the landscape.
He also announced that staffing for the company's first US facility is also progressing. The company is finalizing an agreement with its first US hire, a Maine native who is returning home from Florida to support development activities in Belfast, where the company will be opening a field office this summer.
In addition, Heim is moving to Maine in October to head up US operations, and Marianne Naess, an experienced executive who has held senior positions at McKesson and Aker Solutions, will also be moving from Norway as director of operations. A small corporate office that will serve as US headquarters for Nordic Aquafarms will be established in Portland late this summer.
"We are very pleased with the progress that we made since announcing the project in January. Our due diligence at the site and strong support from the City of Belfast confirm that this is a great location for this exciting project," said Heim. "The scope and pace of our work will increase significantly in the weeks ahead."
Rendering of planned facility by Nordic Aquafarms
