Innovations in Soy
for Aquaculture
Michael C. Cremer, Ph.D.
Aquaculture Utilization Director
Forecast: Need to double aquaculture
production in a decade
Challenge: Identify economically viable
and sustainable alternatives
to fishmeal and fish oil
Soy-Based Aquafeeds
All-plant protein diets using dehulled soybean meal
as the primary protein source have been developed
and are in use globally to culture the more than 30
mmt of freshwater omnivores produced annually
Future Aquaculture Growth
● Much of aquaculture growth is forecast to be
in the marine sector
● Limited fresh water for industry expansion
● High demand for cultured marine fish and shrimp
in response to reduced ocean capture landings
Soy Protein Concentrate (SPC)
Good performance with SPC replacement for
fishmeal in diets for many species being
researched by U.S. soybean industry
Gilthead Sea bream
European Sea bass
Example: Cobia
High soy diets performed as well as
64% fishmeal diet
●3% fishmeal - with 40% SPC + 30% SBM
Advances in Soybean Research
New research makes soy an even more viable option for
sustainable aquafeeds
Soy Genome Sequence
● In 2008 a complete draft assembly of the soybean (Glycine max)
genetic code was publicly released, making it widely available to
the research community to advance new breeding strategies
● Ordered and localized about 5,500 genetic markers on the
sequence that promise to be of particular importance to
researchers seeking to optimize certain qualities in soybean
● Enabled resequencing of the 20,000 soybean lines that are stored
in the National Plant Germplasm System to identify desired gene
variances that are not currently captured by domesticated
soybean lines
New Research Technologies
Molecular Lab with cutting edge technology
● Analytical techniques allow for rapid
new trait discovery and screening
● Reduces analytical costs from $100’s
to pennies
● Discovery of genetic markers
● ID markers for key nutritional factors
● Accelerates release of new products
Fishmeal Replacement
Generous Genetic Variation in Soybeans
● High protein soybean meals….. 57-64% CP
● Ultra-low oligosaccharidesa….. < 1%
●Ultra-low trypsin inhibitorsb…. < 10,000 TIU
aoligosaccharides
btrypsin
- carbohydrates that inhibit digestion or
cause allergic reaction in intestine
inhibitors - proteins that inhibit digestion
New Soybean Varieties have Attributes
Beneficial to Aquaculture
● Potential to replace higher levels
of fishmeal in aquafeeds
● Provide more flexibility in feed
formulating
Soybean Development for Aquafeeds
Genetic Improvement
High-Protein Genetic Lines without:
● Oligosaccharides: stachyose, raffinose
● Trypsin inhibitor activity, TIU/g
● P34 allergen
● Lipoxygenase
● Lectins, mg/kg
● Phytate
All non-GMO
Low Oligosaccharides
● Oligosaccharides – carbohydrates that inhibit digestion
Raffinose
● Poorly digested in monogastric animals - including fish
● Allergic reaction - enteritis is
some fish species (salmon)
● Poor energy utilization
Stachyose
Advantages: High-Protein + Low
Oligosaccharide Soybean Meal
● Fishmeal replacement (50%) with high-protein-low
oligosaccharide soybean meal in salmon fry results in
● Equal weight gain as with fishmeal
● No salmon fry mortality
● No enteritis-marker molecules in the blood
● Improved amino acid digestibility
● Reduced output of metabolites = preserves water quality
● Increased pellet durability and increased oil absorption in
pellets
● Attributes similar to Soy Protein Concentrate (SPC),
but in a meal that is less expensive
2011 Ongoing Trials
High Protein + Ultra-Low Oligosaccharides
1. Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar, Norway
2. Rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss – USDA ARS, Bozeman, MT
3. Cobia, Rachycentron canadum – VCF, Saltville, VA
4. Pacific white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei – AU, Auburn, AL
5. European sea bass, Dicentrarchus labrax – CTA, Cadiz, Spain
6. Yellowtail Kona Kampachi, Seriola rivoliana – KF, Kailua Kona, HI
7. Red drum, Sciaenops ocellatus – TAMU, College Station, TX
U.S. Qualified State
Soybean Boards
Low Trypsin Inhibitors (TI)
● TI – proteins that inhibit digestion
● TI also cause pancreatic
hypertrophy and hyperplasia
(excessive development)
● Requires either heating
(current method - high energy)
or genetic removal
Advantages: High Protein + Low TI
● Paradigm shift in soy processing
less heat required = energy savings
● Improved protein quality (less denaturing)
● Improved amino acid digestibility
Pompano and yellowtail can be raised on soy-based, low fishmeal diets
Traits Can be Combined
● Stack high protein, ultra-low oligosaccharides and low
trypsin all in a single soybean
Research to test yield consistency and competitiveness of
soybeans with combined traits
Low Lipoxygenase
● Lipoxygensase (LOX) – enzyme that destroys
essential fatty acids
● Off-flavors – beany flavor that impacts
palatability
Soy-based feeds with good palatability
Development of Alternative Soybean Products 8.2011
Low Lectins
● Lectins – protein-based molecules with a
‘sweet tooth’ - attach to carbohydrates, mainly
sugars – “low-grade toxins”
● Immunosuppressive ability
● Sticky - binding powers can lead them to attach
to the intestinal lining - interfere with nutrient
absorption and damage the intestine
Development of Alternative Soybean Products 8.2011
Low Phytate
● Phytate – antioxidant compound that reduces the
utilization of phosphorus, minerals, and dietary proteins
● Objective to decrease phosphorus pollution from feeds
● Two genetic approaches
● Low phytate soybeans – increased P uptake by fish
● High phytase soybeans – P in more available form to fish
Maintenance of water quality is
critical to fish culturists using
multi-purpose ocean waters
Fish Oil Replacement
Alternative feed lipid regimes
● Use of a combination of vegetable oils, with no fish oil, for
most of the production cycle, followed by a finishing diet
with fish oil to allow accumulation of the very long chain
omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA
● Collaborative research between Hubbs SeaWorld Research
Institute and Southern Illinois University
Fish Oil Replacement
Soy Oils
● Blending of fish oil with either commodity soybean oil or
high stearidonic acid (STA) soybean oil - no reduction in
accumulation of the very long chain omega-3 fatty acids
EPA and DHA
● Kampachi (yellowtail) - blending of STA soybean oil with
fish oil produces more total omega-3 fatty acids in the flesh
than 100% fish oil in the diet
Soy Oil
● Increasing displacement of fish oil with STA
soybean oil up to 10:90 fish oil:STA soybean oil
● Current testing with Kona Kampachi™ will identify how
much EPA/DHA is required in the diet of Kona
Kampachi™ to ensure total omega-3 fatty acids in the
flesh of the fish at harvest are not compromised
● Improving STA soybean - generated soybean with
up to 3.5% of the very long chain omega-3 fatty
acid, EPA, in the oil
Carotenoids
● Successfully stacked novel omega-3 fatty acid genes
with high value carotenoid genes (astaxanthin and
beta-carotene) into one soybean
● Applications for
species where
coloration is
important,
e.g. salmon
High value carotenoids in soybean
carotenoid astaxanthin up to 25 ug/g seed along with
beta-carotene up to 980 ug/g seed.
Taurine
● Yellowtail fed 40% SPC replacement for
fishmeal, with the addition of taurine, showing
higher growth rate than fishmeal control diet
SPC + taurine
Fishmeal Control
Taurine from Algae
● China currently only source for taurine
● Univ. Nebraska - designing and testing
strategies for production of taurine in algal cells
● Testing algae cell inclusion rates to allow for
down-stream incorporation of a taurine
producing algal feedstock
Taurine production in algal cells
U.S. Soy - committed to assisting the
global aquaculture industry to be
environmentally friendly, profitable
and sustainable
Soybeans
Soy Oil & Lecithin
SBM and SPC
A Better Soybean
U.S. Soybeans
● Renewable
● Scalable
● Responsibly and sustainably produced
Acknowledgements
● Schillinger Genetics
● United Soybean Board
● U.S. Soybean Export Council
● University of Nebraska
● Many U.S. and international R&D partners