In the European Union, a minimum of 30% of protein feed for organic monogastrics must be regionally-grown, and after 2025, 100% of the feed for organically produced monogastrics has to come from organic feed sources of agricultural origin within a year. Fulfilling these requirements in organic monogastric husbandry is a challenge because of a limited availability of regional and organic protein-rich ingredients to fulfill the amino acid requirements. That is why the development of novel feed ingredients is essential to fill the gap.
This review paper was written by authors from Aarhus University in Denmark, from Organic Farm Knoweldge partner project, OK-Net EcoFeed. It was recently published in the scientific journal, Sustainability. The paper evaluates the sustainability of:
- Blue mussel (Mytilus edilus),
- Starfish (Asterias rubens),
- Seaweed,
- Protein extracted from forage crops (green protein), and
- Insects
Alternative feed ingredients which can all be produced in Northern Europe and can play a role in circular and sustainable feed production.
The paper compares the nutrient composition of these novel ingredients to estiblished protein-rich feeds with similar profiles:
- Mussel and starfish meal to fishmeal,
- Seaweed meal to soya bean and wheat.
- Insect meal to soya bean, and
- Grass protein meal to soya bean
Lastly each alternative feed ingredient is discussed in terms of the nutrient digestibility and animal performance.
The paper is open-access and can be downloaded as a PDF. Follow the link below.
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Links
proquest.org: Full text paper: The Potential of Locally-Sourced European Protein Sources for Organic Monogastric Production: A Review of Forage Crop Extracts, Seaweed, Starfish, Mussel, and Insects
Full citation: van der Heide, M.E.; Stødkilde, L.; Værum Nørgaard, J.; Studnitz, M. The Potential of Locally-Sourced European Protein Sources for Organic Monogastric Production: A Review of Forage Crop Extracts, Seaweed, Starfish, Mussel, and Insects. Sustainability 2021, 13, 2303. https://doi.org/10.3390/ su13042303