RISKS AND BENEFITS OF EXTRUDED SHRIMP FEEDS

At present most commercial shrimp feeds are manufactured using conventional steam pelleting technology, with extended pre and/or post-pellet conditioning so as to produce water stable feeds. This is in stark contrast to fish where most of the feeds are manufactured using extrusion technology. To a large extent the use of conventional steam pelleting technology for the production of shrimp feeds has been due to the need to produce fast sinking feeds due to the bottom feeding habits of shrimp.

However, recent advances in extrusion technology has allowed the feed compounder to produce sinking extruded shrimp feeds with improved nutrient digestibility and water stability compared with conventional pelleted shrimp feeds. Although the extrusion process requires a higher investment and operating costs than straight steam pelleting, the extrusion process is more profitable in terms of its ability to lower feed formulation costs, ability to utilize locally available waste streams, improve starch gelatinization and nutrient digestibility, reduce feed wastage and water pollution, produce a wide range of feed particle sizes, ensure feed pasteurization and feed biosecurity, and reduce feeds costs per unit of production at the farm level.