Protein is the most expensive ingredient in feed formulation and work continue to explore new and different alternative sources but do they really proved practical or advantageous?
Alternative protein sources should be safe, good amino acid pattern, good digestibility, and competetively priced.
Protein is a major requirement for poultry and pig production.High amount of protein is require for grower pigs and day old chickens to certain period.In sierra leone, due to high cost of poultry concentrate, we reduce concentrate input and supplement it with fish meal.So fishmeal is highly required for poultry feed.
In pig production also grower ration requre increase in protein and this is reduced as the pig increases in age.We also add fishmeal into our pig feed as protein supplement.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1541-4337.12032
Novel Protein Foods (NPFs) are products based on vegetable protein and micro-organisms. A wide variety of vegetarian alternatives is already available on the market: seitan, tofu, soy meat, tempeh, quorn and meatless based on lupins. In addition, there are milk drinks that are not based on dairy (such as ‘soy milk’) and egg substitutes. The production of in vitro meat is proposed by some as a possible alternative. In the Netherlands a research project is running in which stem cells are extracted once from a pig embryo and grow into muscle cells in a bioreactor thanks to a growth medium. In vitro meat is proposed, in the first instance, as an alternative for the bottom of the meat market: minced meat, croquettes and minced-meat hot dogs. Insects, such as grasshoppers, crickets, caterpillars, beetles, ants, bees, wasps, termites, butterflies and moths, make up an integral part of the diet in large parts of the world. Therefore, some see insects as a possible alternative source of protein for us. The consumption of seaweeds and algae has its origin in Asia, but the demand is growing. A distinction is made between microalgae (usually sold as food supplements in tablet form) and seaweeds which, dried or not, are sold as sea vegetables.
The successful introduction or development of these alternative products depends on a lot of factors. Meat substitutes, non-dairy milk drinks and in vitro meat must comply with a number of criteria before they are accepted by the consumer: they must score well for taste and price, keep for a long time, be healthy and appeal to a broad range of potential customers. The interaction between producer and consumer is crucial.
The development and use of new sources of protein for human consumption can be regarded as a threat to Flemish agriculture. The changing consumption patterns and the introduction of alternative sources of protein which are mainly developed and produced abroad could put pressure on the domestic market for Flemish (meat) products. A successful commercialisation of in vitro meat could lead to a drastic reduction in the global demand for traditional meat. The breeding or growing of alternative sources of protein (algae, insects, raw materials for NPFs and, in future, maybe in vitro meat) can also offer Flemish farmers opportunities to tap into new markets.
When using alternative feed sources as replacers of orthodox feed ingredients, emphasis is laid on use efficiency of the available nutrients, and not of that as determined by proximate analysis. Any plant source of protein with low levels of anti nutritional factors like lignins, tannins etc in combination with a probiotic can easily be used to partially or completely replace fish meal with lots of successes.
To me, any source to be replaced over fish meal is of great importance since we have to deal with overfishing, ecosystem facts and to preserve future of the seas. Most of the farmers buy fishmeal from several leading countries which makes it too centralized; that it is horrific. Therefore, any regional protein source should be evaluated in order to maintain ecological balance, lower the fish meal prices and add value to a non/less economic source. So, "practical or advantageous", no matter how you name it.
As C.A. (Kees) Kan wrote:
They should be safe, have an adequate amino acid profile, good digestibility, and competitive prices but also they need to be palatable and sustainable.
Some alternatives do meet all this requirements showing no disadvantages in terms of growth nor quality. So I think you can say they are proved advantageous.
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