In this small town a couple of hours drive north of the Spanish capital Madrid, there may not be much reminiscent of shrimp farming. However, this is where exciting developments for everyone who practices shrimp farming is taking place. And some of the new ideas are coming from a research facility located on the southwest coast of Norway.

Located in Spain, Group Dibaq is one of the leading European producers of feed for petfood and aquaculture.

We are in Segovia, a city of just over 50,000 inhabitants. It is probably more known as a popular tourist destination, with its magnificent Roman aqueduct and wonderful cathedral, than for producing world-leading prawn feed.

This is where Group Dibaq is located, one of the leading European producers of feed for petfood and aquaculture.

A perfect match

Recently Group Dibaq signed an agreement with the UK company Sea Farms Nutrition Ltd. The reason for Spain and UK to join forces is to produce a new and unique feed for shrimps called Grow Pro.

Sea Farms Nutrition Ltd is located with its research facility on the Norwegian west coast, and specializes in utilizing marine worms as a sustainable source of protein in feed for aquaculture. Established in 2013 by a group of researchers and business people, the company supplies specialized feed to a variety of species produced in aquaculture facilities. They have focused on farmed polychaetes, also known as bristle worms. Using farmed polychaetes is an effective way of producing edible proteins that can form a foundation for high quality aquaculture feed.

OddGeir Oddsen, general manager of Sea Farms Nutrition, is confident that Dibaq’s excellent production facilities will help to bring even better feed to consumers.

– For us, he says, the cooperation with Group Dibaq is a perfect match, and that the new feed Grow Pro will give shrimp farmers many advantages.

– Grow Pro is a high-quality grower feed for shrimp with excellent protein retention, he says. It is used for pre adult shrimps. The production will only use GMO-free raw materials, like our own proprietary brand of protein CEP PRO, based on farmed polychaete, which makes it a completely bio-secure high-quality feed additive. With its unique nutrient profile CEP PRO gives breeders an environmentally friendly feed at a reduced cost.

A professional partner

– We are very happy that this agreement has been made, says Oddsen. Group Dibaq is a professional and innovative player in the market. So we really look forward to a close and good cooperation.

The new feed will be marketed under ProChaete which is Sea Farms Nutrition’s own brand.

Three varieties

– We are launching three different grades of Grow Pro, Oddsen explains. This is because we want to give the farmers different levels of protein in the feed to maximize shrimp growth depending on the shrimp’s life cycle and the farmers protocol.

– We are confident that the deal will reinforce both partner’s position as leading suppliers of sustainable feed to breeders in many countries, says Oddsen.

Innovative technology

Oddsen sees several benefits from working with Group Dibaq:

– Group Dibaq always use sustainable principles in its production, he says. The company has always been early adapters of new and innovative technology. In particular, I would like to highlight the special machines they use, which makes a big difference in terms of shape, texture and taste. For example, the company does not use the usual technology with pellet presses. Instead, they have invested in modern extrusion machines, which improve the nutritional and functional property of the ProChaete Grow Pro shrimp feed.

– A pellet press, Oddsen emphasizes, makes the feed heavily compressed and gives a much harder pellet. It has less opportunity to absorb water, and thus sink faster to the bottom of the pond. Extrusion provides a softer pellet that is easily digested.

– To put it short, a larger portion of the pellet grows into adult shrimp, claims Oddsen. There is also less waste in the pond, so the extrusion technology is superior to the traditional pellet press.

Zero fish in/fish out (FIFO)

– We need to start thinking about consuming and producing proteins sustainably, is Oddsen’s clear message. This is crucial for us, and it is therefore very important that our cooperation with Group Dibaq has come into place. The development of sustainable animal feed, both on land and under water, represents a giant leap in the right direction. Being a part of the global circular bioeconomy will be more and more important. One of the key elements in this area is the conversion of different waste materials into proteins. A very efficient way of doing this is by what we provide, namely polychaetes. Polychaetes contain nutritious, versatile proteins that can form a solid foundation for high quality aquaculture feed, which is important to become complete circular in the doing.

Solicitar productos