Acuinuga is developing microdiets for the nutrition of fish, molluscs and crustaceans larvae, uniquely formulated and primarily incorporating local ingredients in their composition.
The aim is to decrease the need for phytoplancton and zooplankton in the production of aquaseed, due to their high production costs and difficult handling. The partial substitution of live diets for cheaper, readily available microdiets allows for the year-round production of seed, avoiding the typical heterogeneity in particle size and composition of live diets.
These state-of-the-art microdiets make possible the design of species and- developmental stage-specific feeding strategies.
Several factors must be taken into account when producing microdiets:
- Microdiet formulation must satisfy the different nutritional requirements of different species and developmental stages.
- Particle buoyancy must ensure the uniform distribution of feed throughout the water column, accounting for the very limited movement range of most aquatic larvae. Buoyancy will also be affected by changes in salinity.
- Particle size must be suited to the mouth size of the target species: excess sizing makes the feed unavailable while insufficient size will force the larvae to waste energy in ingesting multiple particles, affecting growth. Our innovative production process allows for the production of very homogeneus microdiets with particle size ranging from 3 to 500 microns.
- Water quality is a critical factor for successful larval development. We include in formulae several ingredients such as pH stabilizers and ammonia nitrifiers which, while maintaining particle integrity, help in the preservation of water quality.
Preliminary trials conducted to date indicate a substitution potential of up to 80% of live feed, and a subsequent 60% reduction in production costs depending on species, developmental stage and production systems.