Cargill Aqua Nutrition advances salmon feed with precision nutrition

USA – Cargill Aqua Nutrition has embarked on a transformative journey to revolutionise salmon feed by introducing precision nutrition concepts that enhance fish performance, improve health, and increase cost-efficiency. 

As the world faces the challenge of feeding an additional 2 billion people by 2050, seafood is set to play a critical role in meeting global nutritional demands. 

Recognising the need for innovative approaches to fish nutrition, Cargill Aqua Nutrition is developing groundbreaking solutions in sustainable aquaculture. 

The company’s precision nutrition journey began in 2021 with the launch of the “Essential Nitrogen” concept, which marked a significant departure from traditional protein-focused feed formulations. 

Christian De Santis, principal scientist lead at Cargill Aqua Nutrition, explains that the company’s R&D scientists leveraged their expertise across various species to develop Essential Nitrogen, which improves nitrogen utilisation and provides more accurate fish performance predictions.

“We recognised that simply increasing protein in feed was not the most efficient way to enhance fish growth. Instead, our focus has been on utilising nitrogen more precisely, which allows us to maintain or even boost performance while lowering costs,” says De Santis.

This new approach partitions digestible nitrogen into precise nutrients, replacing traditional protein-based formulations. 

After years of trials and real-world application, Essential Nitrogen has shown remarkable results in raising millions of fish across different locations. The concept supports cost-effective growth by improving nitrogen utilisation and minimising nitrogen waste by reducing environmental impact. 

“This means lower costs for farmers and a reduced ecological footprint, aligning perfectly with Cargill’s broader sustainability goals,” De Santis added.

Building on the success of Essential Nitrogen, Cargill Aqua Nutrition has launched the second phase of its precision nutrition journey—Effective Energy. 

This comprehensive framework integrates the insights gained from Essential Nitrogen into a broader nutritional system, combining tank data, commercial data, and feed formulation data to create customised nutritional plans for specific farming sites and conditions. 

“Effective Energy applies what we learned from Essential Nitrogen to real-world commercial farming. This allows us to tailor feed plans based on geographical location, fish size, and economic constraints, resulting in even greater precision and efficiency,” said De Santis.

By leveraging commercial data, Cargill Aqua Nutrition can fine-tune its formulations to adapt to various farming conditions. The Effective Energy system includes end-to-end scenario planning tools that simulate different farming environments, enabling farmers to make data-driven decisions that optimise fish health, sustainability, and profitability. 

The Effective Energy framework has already been tested in phase one deployments, transitioning from controlled tank trials to real-world sea conditions through commercial trials. 

These trials have confirmed the system’s practical application and effectiveness. Cargill Aqua Nutrition is actively patenting both Essential Nitrogen and Effective Energy to underscore its commitment to leading the aquaculture industry with proprietary, cutting-edge technologies.

For salmon producers, this holistic approach translates into better fish growth, improved nutrient efficiency, and a more cost-effective solution for feed formulation. 

“By focusing on nitrogen and energy more precisely, we’re giving farmers the tools they need to maximise fish health and growth while minimising costs,” said De Santis. 

The ability to customise nutritional plans for each farming environment means producers can adjust their approach to fit specific economic and environmental constraints, ensuring a more sustainable and profitable operation.

“As the aquaculture industry faces growing pressure to produce more seafood with fewer resources, precision feed formulation through systems like Essential Nitrogen and Effective Energy is the way forward,” says De Santis. “We are already delivering real value to salmon producers by helping them improve nutrient efficiency, performance, and cost-effectiveness, all while supporting sustainability.”

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