Nutritious, economical & sustainable
Lavendula recently collaborated with its manufacturing partners to introduce a fantastic new product to the South African market. BettaFish® is a locally designed and manufactured fishmeal replacer that serves as a cost-effective alternative to fishmeal and other high-quality soya-based fishmeal replacers for monogastric animals (swine and poultry).
Why did fishmeal take a backseat for a while?
In the past, nutritionists included protein sources such as fishmeal in certain diets for these types of animals since diets based on soya oil cake and other plant-based protein sources were limiting in certain amino acids. However, as soya processing improved and the quality of the soya oil cake became more consistent, fishmeal started to take a bit of a backseat.
In recent years, the price of fishmeal also increased, and there were periods when it was unavailable, or the quality was inconsistent. At the same time, soya availability and quality increased and synthetic amino acids became more affordable.
All of these factors resulted in less demand for fishmeal, except in dietary scenarios where high quality protein sources are non-negotiable. This includes creep, weaner, and lactation diets for swine, and pre-starter and starter diets for poultry.
Why BettaFish® is an excellent all-rounder feed solution
BettaFish® can be included into the above listed diets at an inclusion rate of between 2.5% and 5%. One of the added benefits of this innovative formulation is that some of the ingredients within the product have a positive effect on the digestibility of the other ingredients included within the diet.
The younger an animal is the more important protein digestibility becomes. Any excess or undigestible protein can lead to a proliferation of E.coli in the digestive tract of young animals resulting in diarrhoea or even Oedema disease in swine.
Until now, the go-to approach has been to decrease the protein content of the diet but maintain the needed amino acids levels, usually by means of products based on high-quality soya oilcake derivatives.
However, all these products are imported to South Africa, which means the cost of transport/shipping and exchange rate volatility have made these dietary solutions a very expensive addition to most diets.
Lavendula endorses BettaFish®
At Lavendula, our specialist nutritionists have in the past used both fishmeal and soya-based protein sources, which means they are in a unique position to compare it to the results of BettaFish®, which they have been using since it became available in 2021.
Our nutritionists report that growth and performance trajectories have stayed consistent, and the consistent quality of the feed ingredient has been instrumental in maintaining the operational status quo as industry pressure escalates and feed costs increase. By improving digestibility and nutrient uptake, the gut integrity and efficiency of the animals have also improved.
For best results, our knowledgeable Lavendula nutritionists recommend adding BettaFish® to all monogastric animal diets.