The University of the Philippines Visayas (UPV), through a Research and Development (R&D) project, explored a feed ingredient that can replace soybean meal and decrease use of fishmeal as a protein source in formulated feeds for cultured freshwater and saline tilapia.
During its implementation, the technology demonstrated in a feeding trial that Mycofeed can possibly replace 100% the soybean meal in tilapia diets. This was achieved without affecting all measurable growth parameters and the Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR), which is a critical metric for profitability in both saline and freshwater tilapia aquaculture.
As the global market costs of aquafeed continuously increase, affecting the industry’s growth and profitability, the development of Mycofeed is seen to address the Philippine aquaculture industry’s heavy reliance on imported feed materials, specifically soybean meal and fishmeal.
This technology was developed through the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD)-funded project, “Mycofeeds for freshwater and saline tilapia culture,” under the leadership of Dr. Rex Ferdinand M. Traifalgar of UPV.
Currently, Mycofeed technology is in the R&D phase wherein laboratory-scale validation and initial feeding trials have already demonstrated the technical potential of the product. However, it still needs to undergo further optimization, pilot-scale production, field validation, and industry-scale performance assessments prior to commercial adoption.
Further R&D efforts to establish the efficiency, scalability, economic viability, and long-term sustainability of Mycofeed should still be done for wider application in the Philippine aquaculture industry.
Mycofeed is a product of the fermentation of rice bran and rice hull with a high protein straw mushroom fungi mycelia, Volvariella volvacea that converts this agricultural biomass into a high protein feed ingredient. The Mycofeed fermentation process is rapid, requires less water and sunlight during the process, and utilizes agricultural cellulose-rich plant material as growth media to produce high protein biomass. The analysis of V. volvacea showed that the fungal mycelia has a protein content of 40% and with an 84% protein ingredient digestibility.
Furthermore, using Mycofeed was shown to significantly lower the required fishmeal content in tilapia feeds. Integrating up to 50% Mycofeed into the diet did not hinder the growth performance of either saline or freshwater tilapia. At a 50% inclusion rate, the required fishmeal in the feeds was reduced to about 2.5%.
The project has also shown that 50-75% of Mycofeed in tandem with 50-25% commercial feed can support the normal growth and feed conversion of cultured tilapia. Alternate feeding was also found to not affect the overall growth performance of tilapia.
In light of these results, Mycofeed offers the country's aquaculture sector a solution that is locally sourced, sustainable, plant-based, and a high-protein feed ingredient for tilapia culture.