Aquaculture activities are located mainly in rural or remote areas where the environmental conditions are not largely affected by humans and the demand for land for other activities such as tourism or industrial developments is low.
Excluding the salmonids, most farmed fish and shrimp are produced in the tropical regions of Southeast Asia and Latin America. According to the last FAO aquaculture report (2022), aquaculture is expected to expand mostly in the Americas (up 29 % from 2020), Africa (up 23 %) and Asia (up 22 %). The growth in Africa's aquaculture production will be driven by the additional culturing capacity put in place in recent years, as well as by national policies promoting aquaculture fuelled by rising local demand because of higher economic growth. In the meantime, Asian countries will continue to dominate the aquaculture sector, maintaining their share of 88 % of 2030 global aquaculture production and being responsible for nearly 90 % of the increase in production by 2030 (FAO, 2022).
Logistics of enzyme use
Producers of aquatic feed are also strategically located in geographical areas that allow them to cover markets and deliver products to farms in a short time. Feed mills need to be adapted to managing a complex process for the import, transport, and storage of all the ingredients and additives used in their formulations.
For some tropical regions, the use of liquid enzymes delivered in IBCs is a viable alternative. However, in other major producer countries, the stability of these liquid enzymes may be compromised, in particular when temperature-controlled transport and storage is required.
The current global situation includes massive delays in sea freight transport, as well as the common logistic problems faced in countries without a solid customs structure. These factors lead to disruption in the availability and quality of feed additives that require control of temperatures. It is particularly important to consider delivery time with regards to the shelf life of the enzyme to ensure optimal enzyme activity. In the case of liquid enzymes, shelf life is typically one year.
Instant water-soluble enzyme powders
The basis of this concept is quite simple: why not produce liquid enzymes in the feed mill itself? This was the question which led to the development of the Huvematic® by Huvepharma®.
This concept has two elements:
Huvepharma®'s knowledge and experience in the production and processing of enzymes led to the development of a range of instant water-soluble enzyme powders (WSPs) including Hostazym® X WSP (NSPase) and OptiPhos® WSP (phytase). These products are 50 - 150 times more concentrated than the usual available enzyme powders and are soluble, even in cold and hard water, within 30 seconds.
Figure 1. The Huvematic® machine
A machine called the Huvematic® (Figure 1) automatically produces liquid enzymes from the WSP powders (Figures 2a and b). This machine accurately weighs the required quantities of WSP enzymes and water and mixes them together so that the liquid enzyme is produced at precisely the required concentration. The Huvematic® produces batches of 5 to 15 litres and can be fully integrated into factory production. It can operate automatically and includes a reporting system to fully comply with the regulatory quality control and traceability standards. One Huvematic® has enough production capacity to serve multiple post-pelleting liquid application (PPLA) lines within the same feed mill.
Figure 2a. WSP enzymes in transport box
Figure 2b. WSP enzyme bag in the transport box
Worldwide implementation
This innovation by Huvepharma® is new in most areas of the world. However, it has already been widely accepted for more than seven years in the US where it is intensively used for land animal species. For aquaculture applications, the Huvematic® can help to meet the increasing demand for enzymes to be used in functional feeds. This success has encouraged Huvepharma® to launch the concept of WSP enzymes globally for the aquaculture industry.
Major benefits of the Huvematic®
The feedback obtained from some key players on the Huvematic® and our WSP enzymes include:
Conclusions
The Huvematic® assures the correct application of liquid enzymes in countries with logistic challenges.
WSP enzymes are the more convenient type of enzyme for aquatic feed mills, minimising logistic and quality problems.
The Huvematic® is the most convenient tool to deliver fresh enzymes produced in situ and avoids thermic expositions and loss of efficacy during transport and storage.