F3 krill replacement challenge attracts 40 entrants

The Future of Fish Feed, also referred to as F3, has registered 40 different aquaculture feed companies as competitors in its new F3 Krill Replacement Challenge. 

The challenge, announced in June, is the latest in a line of aquafeed challenges it has run each year since 2015. The challenges require participants to innovate and sell a new fish-free variety of aquaculture feed, with past winners of the challenge including Veramaris, Star Milling Co., Empagran, and more.

The latest challenge is designed to spark innovation in krill alternatives in aquaculture feed, F3 said.

“We are thrilled by the vast amount of interest, both in terms of variety of products and from companies located all over the world,” F3 Judge Kevin Fitzsimmons, a professor of environmental science at the University of Arizona, said. “It is gearing up to be a great competition and already highlights the fact that there are many viable replacements on the market already that we don’t need to fish krill from the wild for an ingredient in feed.”

Companies signing up for the competition include Agri-King Nutrition, Inc., APC, Arbiom, Aqua Management Technologies, BCF Life Sciences, Bioiberica, BRF Ingredients, Calysseo, CCYAA, dsm-firmenich, eniferBio, Entobel, Entosystem, F4F, Guangdong Evergreen Feed Industry Co., Hamlet Protein, Hermet Nutrix, JF Nutritech, Jiangsu Fatide Biotech, Ltd., KnipBio, Lutia, Maltento, MFC Group, MicroHarvest, Mutatec, nextProtein, NovoNutrients, Nutrition Technologies, Orffa Additives, Palmatech, Phileo by Lesaffre, PreZero, Protenga, Protix, Revolgene Labs, Shaivaa Algaetech, Shrimpkart Ventures, Sotup, Symrise, and Stratium.

F3 said the next step in the entrance process is for judges to select 10 companies that will then compete in a 12-week-long comparative trial. The trial will feed each of the selected companies’ plant-based, krill-free feed to Atlantic salmon and determine a winner based on weight gain, feed-conversion ratio, and the survival rate of the salmon fed each product. 

F3 said the 10 companies will be selected an announced in late October 2023. The winner will receive a USD 100,000 (EUR 95,200) grand prize.

According to F3, krill alternatives were chosen for the latest edition of the challenge due to scientific research showing sharp declines in krill populations. Nutritionally equivalent replacements for krill, F3 said, will help “bolster food security and seafood output to feed a growing world population.” 

Photo courtesy of RLS Photo/Shutterstock