Due to limited availability and price fluctuations of marine ingredients, plant sources have increasingly been used as substitutes affecting palatability, zootechnical performance, and animal health. The production of standard fish meals (FM) still remains the main industrial process of marine ingredients. Meanwhile, the hydrolyzation process better preserves the unrivalled benefits of marine sources thanks to a gentler process.
Fish Protein Hydrolysates (FPH) feature major key advantages including high water solubility, low molecular weight distribution or bioactive peptides. These properties have tremendous interest in aquafeed by increasing feed palatability in high plant diets or facilitating the nutrient uptake, even at low inclusion. Various studies have confirmed the positive effects on growth and feed efficiency either for farmed fish and shrimps. Some peptides derived from FPH have proven to enhance various physiological mechanisms such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, or immunomodulatory activities. In response to specific infections either viral, bacterial or parasitic, animals fed with FPH have been found to increase innate immunity and disease resistance.
This review provides an overview of the use of FPH from pelagic species such as sardines and mackerels, using the BLUE FISH FACTORY in Morocco as a case study, within the context of industry efforts toward efficiency and sustainability.