Life cycle assessment 'is best way to compare aquafeed ingredients'
IFFO expert calls for 'common set of rules' to improve sustainability of formulations
A new peer-reviewed paper published in Reviews in Fisheries Science & Aquaculture offers a deep analysis of how circular principles can be applied to ingredient selection for aquafeed formulation, says marine ingredients organisation IFFO.
The study, led by IFFO technical director Dr Brett Glencross, along with a team of seven scientists and industry representatives, highlights what they say is the need for a more comprehensive and holistic approach to sustainable feed and food production.
The paper, Toward Applying a Circularity Framework Against the Use of Aquaculture Feed Ingredients, builds on the European Feed Manufacturers’ Federation (FEFAC)’s circularity framework, structured around four key pillars:
- Minimising the use of food-grade resources as feed
- Reducing reliance on land use
- Maximising the use of locally sourced ingredients
- Optimising the nutritional characteristics of feed ingredients
Life Cycle Assessment
Glencross, an honorary professor at Stirling University’s Institute of Aquaculture, said: “One of the key drivers of circularity is the need to improve sustainability of feed ingredient use. This review demonstrates that a more comprehensive approach to sustainable feed and food production is possible, particularly through life cycle assessment (LCA) methodologies. By applying a common, agreed set of rules, we can ensure that environmental burdens are not simply transferred from one product to another.”
LCA data shows that marine ingredients have a lower carbon footprint than many other ingredients, and reducing their inclusion increases the carbon footprint of aquafeeds.
The paper underscores that aquaculture feeds are now predominantly composed of plant-based raw materials (see above, left). This shift has significantly reduced reliance on marine ingredients from 25% to 9% on average in the last two decades but has also linked global aquafeed production to the broader social and environmental impacts of agriculture (see above, right), including increased biodiversity impacts and carbon emissions.
Today, over 40% of the raw material used for marine ingredient production come from fish by-products (see below), which originate from both wild caught fish and aquaculture processing. Growth in aquaculture will also result in growth in marine ingredient production from by-products.
Circular feed ingredients are needed provided they follow a complete characterisation process, including digestibility, bioavailability, and consistency of supply. A general target for commercial use should be upwards of 10,000 tonnes availability with a consistent supply and nutrient composition. “There is no point in producing a circular feed ingredient if its nutritional characteristics undermine the capacity to formulate a nutritious and balanced feed,” the authors noted.
The paper also explores the potential of marine bioactive compounds derived from waste streams (such as bio-active peptides, fish silage, bio-active peptides, and marine osmolytes), which can enhance feed performance. They have been the subject of extensive research in the last 30 years for their content of “unknown growth factors”.
The publication calls for coordinated efforts and collaboration across the value chain.
