October 2, 2023

F3's Krill Replacement Challenge attracts 40 global aquaculture feed companies

The Future of Fish Feed (F3) initiative has seen a strong response to its F3 Krill Replacement Challenge, with 40 aquaculture feed companies from around the world registering as competitors, SeafoodSource reported.

The F3 Krill Replacement Challenge is the latest instalment of the annual aquafeed challenges run by F3 since 2015. In these challenges, participants are tasked with innovating and marketing a new fish-free variety of aquaculture feed. Past winners include industry players like Veramaris, Star Milling Co, and Empagran.

The primary objective of this challenge is to stimulate innovation in developing alternatives to krill for use in aquaculture feed.

F3 judge Kevin Fitzsimmons, a professor of environmental science at the University of Arizona, said that it is gearing up to be a great competition and already highlights the fact that there are many viable replacements on the market already that we don't need to fish krill from the wild for an ingredient in feed.

The list of companies participating in the competition includes Agri-King Nutrition, Inc., APC, Arbiom, Aqua Management Technologies, BCF Life Sciences, Bioiberica, BRF Ingredients, Calysseo, CCYAA, dsm-firmenich, eniferBio, Entobel, Entosystem, F4F, Guangdong Evergreen Feed Industry Co., Hamlet Protein, Hermet Nutrix, JF Nutritech, Jiangsu Fatide Biotech, Ltd., KnipBio, Lutia, Maltento, MFC Group, MicroHarvest, Mutatec, nextProtein, NovoNutrients, Nutrition Technologies, Orffa Additives, Palmatech, Phileo by Lesaffre, PreZero, Protenga, Protix, Revolgene Labs, Shaivaa Algaetech, Shrimpkart Ventures, Sotup, Symrise, and Stratium.

F3 disclosed that the next phase of the competition involves judges selecting ten companies to compete in a 12-week-long comparative trial. During the trial, each selected company's plant-based, krill-free feed will be fed to Atlantic salmon. The winner will be determined based on criteria including weight gain, feed-conversion ratio, and the survival rate of the salmon fed each product.

The announcement of the ten selected companies is scheduled for late October 2023, and the ultimate winner will receive a grand prize of US$100,000.

The decision to focus on krill alternatives in this challenge was based on scientific research indicating significant declines in krill populations. F3 said that nutritionally equivalent substitutes for krill will contribute to enhancing food security and seafood production to meet the demands of a growing global population.

-      SeafoodSource