Brood Shrimp Nutrition: Cold-processed, Stabilized, Complete Feeds for Maturation

Broodshrimp are given natural (wild-capture) foods for maintenance and maturation. This practice causes problems with production schedules and diseases, limits management options, and raises production costs. Conventional feed processing can degrade high quality ingredients-essential nutrients and other natural biochemicals- such that they become ineffective for broodshrimp reproduction. The purpose of this study is to research and develop broodshrimp feeds that overcome existing nutritional constraints. We will make and study "cold" processed feed mixes containing natural foods (marine worms, squid, etc.), that are coupled with irradiation to protect heat-liable and oxidation-sensitive nutrients, while attenuating pathogens borne by natural foods and ingredients. Our work will give estimates of water and shelf stability; approximate composition; fatty acid and amino acid profiles; essential micronutrients and metabolic intermediates; microbe load and sterility; and comparative economics of feed production and use. Prototype fees are to be tested with Panaeus vannamei, and we expect correlations from test results to permit our developing complete broodshrimp feeds. We plan to continue R&D for practical, complete feeds for other species to help support the multi-billion dollar shrimp industry worldwide and offset an estimated $2 billion shrimp import to the U.S.