August 2, 2013
Colombia to convert poultry waste to quality, affordable fish feed
A team of researchers from the National University of Colombia (UNC) discovered that the waste of the poultry industry could be converted to replace the protein requirement of fish feed for aquaculture which is a cost-effective and environmentally friendly option.
One of the major problems faced by Colombian fish farmers today is the availability of good quality feed having affordable prices.
Between April 2002 and March 2003, production costs increased from US$2,263 to US$2,959, UNC reported through its UN Journal. And while the price paid to fish producers increased by 7%, food costs rose 11%.
According to the Agrocadenas Observatory in Colombia, despite the fact that pet food is manufactured by firms installed in the country, most of the raw materials for making them (soymeal, wheat bran and cassava starch, among others) are purchased abroad.
UNC scientists evaluated the biological and economic feasibility of white chicken offal, considered as waste by the poultry industry. For the team, these viscera may serve as a food source of pacu (cachama), the second most produced species in Colombia.
According to José Ader Gomez, a doctor in Animal Science and a professor at the UN in Palmira, a particular problem that animal feed has is protein supply due to the limited availability of inputs that are rich in them, and their high cost.
"Such offal, for example, can be converted into an alternative recycling of nutrients such as a protein source for fish and as a strategy to lower costs," states the marine biologist Christopher Botero, another participant in the project.
Experts stressed that increasing the addition of white chicken offals, manufacturing costs are reduced by 40% compared to the value of a commercial concentrate.
This article is made possible through the contribution of www.cnchemicals.com/.