SEAFOOD BARCELONA 2022

SEAFOOD BARCELONA 2022

Dibaq Aquaculture was present at SEAFOOD Barcelona 2022, the most important fair in the sector worldwide. There have been two years without a celebration, and this has translated into spectacular results, with more than 1,600 exhibitors from 80 different countries, who occupied the more than 45,000m2 of the Fira de Barcelona.

Even with the geopolitical situation in Russia and the health situation in China, more than 30,000 people have passed through the Fair and our General Director, José Luis Tejedor, had the opportunity to attend and witness the new trends that were presented in the sector, in addition to taking advantage to visit, talk and continue strengthening our commercial ties in the 5 continents. An excellent opportunity that already has a date for next year, from April 25 to 27, 2023, in the same city, and in the same place.

Dibaq Aquaculture participates in Inmuno&Algae

Last April, Dibaq Aquaculture was invited to participate in the final Immuno&Algae Conference organized by Ctaqua (Technological Center for Aquaculture) in Puerto de Santa María (Cádiz).

Elvira Alcalde, head of the animal nutrition, health and welfare department at Dibaq Aquaculture, participated in this interesting event, within Session 2: The challenge of functional foods in aquaculture, with the presentation, “Functional foods as a sectoral challenge.” , a presentation with which he shared the extensive experience that the Group has in the development and application of this type of food and in which he highlighted the improvements that are achieved from the point of view of the production and health of the fish, with the use of the products that are part of its line of functional foods, Dibaq Aquasafe.

WE HELD AN IN-HOUSE TECHNICAL AND STRATEGIC WORKSHOP

Grupo Tejedor Lázaro, in its fervent search for excellence in the design and cooking of pet food and aquaculture fish feed, has held an internal technical and strategic workshop where new trends, forms and flavours in the animal nutrition of the future. A total of 14 international experts in engineering, extrusion and nutrition from the Group have tested the behaviour of the kitchens and new ingredients that are part of the recipes and assortments that we offer in more than 70 countries on 4 continents.

The use of new sources of sustainable proteins, respectful with the environment and seeking the best results and animals; the search for new textures, densities, flavours, aromas and behaviours in the mouth; or the maximization of the inclusion of certain ingredients in recipes were some of the topics worked on, which will soon form part of the assortment of products that our animals will be able to enjoy all over the world.

SUSTAINABLE TRENDS IN AQUACULTURE NUTRITION

The world’s population will approach 10 billion by 2050 according to the FAO. As the population grows, the demand for food and more specifically for protein sources increases accordingly.

Therefore, the demand for aquafeed (as a source of protein and essential fatty acids) is also increasing.

Global aquaculture production reached 120 million tonnes in 2019(FAO), 3.7% more than the previous year and again surpassed extractive fisheries, this time by more than 26 million tonnes.

The sustainability of aquaculture is based on efficiency in the use of available sources to supply this unstoppable increase in population with nutritious and accessible protein.

In recent years, aquaculture recipes have evolved to incorporate a large number of raw materials that provide us with the nutrients necessary for the development of the farmed species in question.

However, even today, in a significant part of aquaculture diets, the use of both fishmeal and fish oil is still significant, especially in diets intended to feed carnivorous species, as the characteristics of these raw materials, high protein content, optimal amino acid profile, high content of long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, source of phospholipids and cholesterol, as well as minerals and vitamins, cover the needs of this type of aquaculture species.
However, modern aquafeeds are sophisticated and include a combination of ingredients designed to facilitate intensive and efficient production. They incorporate cereals, legumes, bran, starches, flours and oilseed concentrates, processed animal proteins, marine proteins, marine and vegetable oils, enzymes, vitamin and mineral premixes, pigments and additives, thus reducing dependence on traditional raw materials.

Current trends towards a more sustainable horizon include, for example, the use of microalgae and macroalgae as alternative sources of oil. Although their use is still limited, formulations with some inclusion are available, helping to reduce dependence on fish oil.
The number of companies starting to produce oil from microalgae is increasing and their production technology is improving, so we expect availability and competitive prices in the medium term.

On the other hand, and although there are economic, regulatory, social and environmental challenges today, the use of bacteria, yeasts and insects in aquaculture diets will also increase in the near future.

At Dibaq Aquaculture we are very clear that modern aquafeeds must also be affordable products and provide healthy solutions and in this sense, there are different types of functional additives that improve the welfare of fish, boosting their immune response and reducing stress.

Different bacterial, fungal and viral pathogens are responsible for high mortality rates. In aquaculture, this is a limiting factor and has a major impact on the industry. There is therefore a need to control the effects of these pathogens without resorting to chemotherapeutics. Considering alternative approaches and with the clear objective of reducing the use of antibiotics, different immunostimulants are used, which enhance immune responses together with their level of gene expression through different signalling pathways.

When we manage to act positively on the immune system of the fish, the effect on the production parameters is direct, as they are prepared to fight infections and, therefore, we avoid their negative effect on growth and feed utilisation.

The global market for aquaculture feed additives is experiencing a rebound, in Europe alone, it is expected to reach 285 million dollars (CAGR of 4.8%) by 2026, according to GM insights.

Among the products that help us to improve fish immunity and that we can include in our recipes are the so-called prebiotics and probiotics.

Both are products derived from yeasts and beneficial bacteria that have been successfully tested in many animal species with the aim of improving the physical barriers in the gut and the immune system, helping to promote better growth in the animal.

In aquaculture, the incorporation of probiotics, although their use in Europe is limited to a single bacterial species, is a viable tool that reduces or eliminates the incidence of pathogenic micro-organisms, and constitutes, as I said, an alternative to chemotherapeutic agents in the prevention of infectious diseases. On the other hand, they also offer nutritional benefits, providing enzymes, vitamins and micronutrients, thus contributing to reducing mortality and maintaining the homeostasis of the individual.

Prebiotics also have the potential to increase the efficiency and sustainability of aquaculture production. They act as nutrients for the gut microbiota. Today there are different products used with prebiotic effect, some of the most proven in aquaculture are mannan-oligosaccharides (MOS), complex carbohydrate molecules from the wall of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which prevent the adhesion of bacterial pathogens, thus hindering the colonisation and infective process of pathogens.

At Dibaq Aquaculture, we believe that, as is happening with other feeds, aquafeeds will become increasingly specific, sustainable, palatable, digestible and nutritious. In addition, automated feeding systems, new RAS (recirculation system) productions, whose technology requires a special feed in terms of composition as not all feeds are compatible with this production system, will improve the performance of species and reduce feed wastage.

As we have been doing at Dibaq Aquaculture in recent years, aquaculture feed nutrition must continue to look beyond traditional raw materials, seeking complementarity with them through technological and nutritional strategies.

We know that aquaculture species have needs in terms of nutrients, not ingredients, and although we have already come a long way, we must continue to innovate in this direction.

How can the end of the winter season and the beginning of rising
temperatures affect sea bream?

Sea bream is a aquaculture production specie that withstands cold temperatures more delicately than sea bass, so during the winter it is important to maintain adequate feeding strategies for this species in areas where the water drops below 14ºC during the winter season. During this time of the year, the optimal production conditions to avoid mortality as much as possible are those that follow an extensive model. From the Nutrition, Health and Welfare Department of Dibaq Aquaculture we advise against intensive production conditions for sea bream between 13-17 ºC in order to avoid metabolic and physiological pressure that sea bream cannot withstand at these temperatures.

In addition, another critical moment can also be the end of winter and the rise in temperatures, a moment to which special attention must be done.

The well-known Winter Disease, a metabolic syndrome of multifactorial origin that affects marine cages production farms, which we have already discussed, may have two phases or processes in this species.

In the first phase of the disease, which can be established from December to March, a low chronic mortality can be observed, and in the second phase, which occurs from April to May, is where a subacute mortality can be seen that can reach 20 % of the total in less than a month. One of the possible causes for this second stage of the Winter Disease to have a higher mortality in a shorter period of time is that the fish have been for several months at low temperatures and their immune system has been “lethargic” or with a lower activity than at other times of the year at high temperatures, therefore immunity can be low. If we add this to the physiological and metabolic imbalances that low temperatures can cause in this species, what we obtain is that the sea bream becomes more predisposed to infection by Pseudomonas anguilliseptica, a bacterial pathogen that is more active at this time of the year.

Therefore, in this second phase of the disease, we obtain the metabolic problems associated with low temperatures and a possible infection by Pseudomonas anguilliseptica, which results in this rapid increase in mortality.

For all these reasons, it is important to have feeding strategies in the farm based on seasonal temperature and light, fish size, farm conditions, etc. From the Nutrition, Health and Welfare Department we help our clients to follow the best feeding strategies throughout the year, not only for sea bream, but for all current production species. For this, we recommend the products that we consider optimal for each moment of the year, taking into account the species, the size of the fish, the energy of each product and including our quality brand of Dibaq AquaSafe functional and health products for the improvement, support and support of immunity in specific moments of the production stages, in order to avoid, as far as possible, increases in the mortality of the species. For Dibaq Aquaculture, nutrition and health follow the same way in aquaculture.

For example, for sea bream in the stage of finishing winter and entering summer, it must be taken into account that it is a phase of acclimatization of the fish to the increase in temperature and again to the progressive increase in the daily feeding rate. It is important to carry out immunostimulation/immunomodulation for 2/3 weeks in this stage prior to the beginning of summer, since the fish have been during the previous stage with their immune system at minimum. Therefore, it is a good action “reactivate” the immune system after winter. This is one of the many recommendations that we offer to each client in a personalized way according to their farm and production method, in addition to our 360º Service, where we continuously accompany the client in all the production cycle.

DIBAQ APARTMENT 360º IN THE WORLD

Dibaq is unfolding all its potential and history of more than 35 years in Aquaculture in the world.

When the first generation of the Tejedor Lázaro family founded the Dibaq company more than 70 years ago, they did not imagine that their products would be sold in markets as far away as Korea, Sri Lanka or Peru.

Why a Spanish family business can reach these markets is both very simple and very difficult: dedication to the customer.

Dibaq’s 360º service means that our products are manufactured in Spain but the ideas come from all corners of the aquaculture world. When our clients need a special product, our 360º department is there. When our clients have a problem on the farm, our 360º department is there. This department is made up of specialists in nutrition, veterinary medicine, chemistry, engineering, or biology, among others.

The challenges can be from particular needs in the feed to improve the quality of the water, looking for special buoyancies in the feed, special profiles of the feed to enter some world markets, solving engineering problems in their RAS facilities or cages… On many occasions, We adapt the extensive knowledge that our clients have regarding the species they work to develop ad-hoc feeds for their farm.

Other times it is a recurring pathology on the farm and through our department and working side by side with our client we manage to eradicate or alleviate that disease.

Thus, our customers in the US, Asia, Africa or America work together with us as true technological partners, promoting and giving birth to new products for the new challenges of aquaculture in the 21st century.
Dibaq currently exports more than 80% of its products, for more than 25 species in tanks, cages, RAS or ponds.