How to identify the quality of shrimp feed? Master these practical methods
How to identify the quality of shrimp feed
● There are many types of shrimp feed, and feed of the same type also comes in different grades of product, with greatly differing quality requirements, and there is no unified standard for judging quality level.
● Judging whether shrimp feed is of high or low quality ultimately depends on the farming results. However, the farming results depend not only on the quality of the feed, but also on the shrimp's germplasm and health condition, water quality, stocking density, and the very important rearing management, among other factors.
● It should be pointed out that shrimp feed extruded with advanced extruding machines has a darker surface color (after soaking in water, the black color fades relatively quickly, turning grayish-yellow-brown), a weak odor, and reduced feeding attractiveness due to the processing technology, but its farming results are in no way inferior to those of pelleted shrimp feed, and it has the advantages of killing all pathogens, good physical properties, and high digestibility.
There are many types of shrimp feed, and feed of the same type also comes in different grades of product, with greatly differing quality requirements, and there is no unified standard for judging quality level. For example: Japanese tiger prawn feed, Chinese prawn feed, and black tiger shrimp feed require a relatively large amount of fishmeal and have relatively high protein and fat contents; Macrobrachium rosenbergii feed and freshwater shrimp feed can use more plant-based raw materials and do not require a very high protein content; South American prawn feed falls somewhere in between the two.
Judging whether shrimp feed is of high or low quality ultimately depends on the farming results. However, the farming results depend not only on the quality of the feed, but also on the shrimp's germplasm and health condition, water quality, stocking density, and the very important rearing management, among other factors. Shrimp raised on good-quality shrimp feed grow quickly, have strong disease resistance, a low feed conversion ratio, bright and translucent body color, and plump flesh. For example: with good whiteleg shrimp feed, under normal circumstances, whiteleg shrimp can be raised to marketable shrimp (size 35-45 shrimp per jin) and harvested for sale in about 80 days, with a feed conversion ratio of 0.9-1.1.
When choosing shrimp feed, how do you distinguish its quality?
1. Look at the main nutritional indicators. Among these, the very important ones are the contents of crude protein, crude fat, lysine, methionine, arginine, available phosphorus (phosphorus that shrimp can digest and absorb), crude fiber, and ash. Most of these indicators are stated on the label and are generally credible; a small portion are not stated, and users cannot send samples for testing. As for the very important various vitamins and trace elements, their contents are not stated. What needs to be pointed out here is that some users look only at the crude protein content and assume that feed with a high protein content is good feed; this is a misunderstanding. As with fish feed, the protein content of shrimp feed is not the higher the better. If the protein and fat contents are too high, this instead affects the growth of fish and shrimp; raising fish and shrimp with such feed not only increases farming costs but also affects the growth of fish and shrimp.
2. Look at the raw materials used. Nutritional indicators only reflect quantity, not quality, and quality is very important. For example: at the same 40 protein, fishmeal protein and soybean meal protein are different, and soybean meal protein is also different from cottonseed meal and rapeseed meal protein. The main raw materials used in shrimp feed should be fishmeal, soybean meal, peanut meal, corn meal, corn gluten meal, high-gluten flour, fish oil, phospholipids, etc. The label generally states the names of the main raw materials, but not the very important proportional amounts.
3. Simple judgment of quality. Here are a few points for users' reference.
1. Color. Good shrimp feed is light grayish-yellow-brown, uniform in color, and oily. However, the color is affected by the color of the raw materials and will vary in depth, so it cannot be regarded as a main quality factor.
2. Odor. Good shrimp feed should have a fresh fragrance of fishmeal, shrimp, or squid. When opened after being sealed for a long time, it should not have a pungent odor, nor should it have the odor of oxidized oil. A clear rather than turbid smell indicates that the fishmeal used is relatively good; a thick, turbid fishmeal smell indicates that more fishmeal and fish oil were used but of relatively poor quality.
3. Appearance requirements. The surface of the shrimp feed is smooth and clean, the broken edges are flat, the lengths are relatively uniform, and the pellets are even.
4. Grinding fineness. Use a glass bottle to crush the shrimp feed and observe the grinding fineness. Good shrimp feed is ground very fine, with no obvious large particles.
5. Water resistance and softening time. Soak the shrimp feed in water; after 2-3 hours, the shrimp feed swells but does not fall apart, does not crack, does not break, and does not split open at both ends. After soaking in water for 30-40 minutes, it is fully softened; when pinched by hand, the shrimp feed has no hard core, and when flattened by pinching it does not fall apart.
6. Simple biological test. Place the soaked and softened shrimp feed in a place where ants are active and flies are likely to go; good shrimp feed will be eaten by ants and flies. If the softened shrimp feed is placed on an ant trail and the ants are unwilling to approach it and detour around it, then this kind of shrimp feed is not very good.
7. Feeding attractiveness. Use a small homemade net to sink a small amount of shrimp feed into the shrimp pond; after about half an hour, lift the small net out of the water and observe how much shrimp feed remains uneaten in the net and how many shrimp are in the net to judge its feeding attractiveness. Generally speaking, good shrimp feed has relatively good feeding attractiveness. However, one cannot judge whether shrimp feed is of high or low quality based only on feeding attractiveness. This is because some shrimp feed, although its intrinsic quality is not very good, has a lot of feeding attractants added, so shrimp will like to eat it very much, yet the farming results are not equally outstanding; some shrimp feed has very good intrinsic quality but no feeding attractants added or only a small amount added, and although shrimp do not like to eat it very much, the farming results are very good. What can be certain is that with good shrimp feed, shrimp will not have feeding obstacles, and once they get used to it they can feed normally.
It should be pointed out that shrimp feed extruded with advanced extruding machines has a darker surface color (after soaking in water, the black color fades relatively quickly, turning grayish-yellow-brown), a weak odor, and reduced feeding attractiveness due to the processing technology, but its farming results are in no way inferior to those of pelleted shrimp feed, and it has the advantages of killing all pathogens, good physical properties, and high digestibility.
4. Choose manufacturers and brand-name products. Shrimp feed is a high-grade feed, with relatively high requirements for formula, raw materials, processing, and quality. Large companies and brand-name manufacturers operating legitimately generally have relatively strong technical strength, relatively strict formula management, relatively careful raw material selection, relatively advanced production equipment, and relatively standardized production process management and product quality management; therefore, their product quality is relatively reliable and stable.
Of course, I do not exclude small factories and off-brand products; such products may also include shrimp feed of good quality. But for users, choosing brand-name products produced by large factories is more credible and reliable.
● Judging whether shrimp feed is of high or low quality ultimately depends on the farming results. However, the farming results depend not only on the quality of the feed, but also on the shrimp's germplasm and health condition, water quality, stocking density, and the very important rearing management, among other factors.
● It should be pointed out that shrimp feed extruded with advanced extruding machines has a darker surface color (after soaking in water, the black color fades relatively quickly, turning grayish-yellow-brown), a weak odor, and reduced feeding attractiveness due to the processing technology, but its farming results are in no way inferior to those of pelleted shrimp feed, and it has the advantages of killing all pathogens, good physical properties, and high digestibility.
There are many types of shrimp feed, and feed of the same type also comes in different grades of product, with greatly differing quality requirements, and there is no unified standard for judging quality level. For example: Japanese tiger prawn feed, Chinese prawn feed, and black tiger shrimp feed require a relatively large amount of fishmeal and have relatively high protein and fat contents; Macrobrachium rosenbergii feed and freshwater shrimp feed can use more plant-based raw materials and do not require a very high protein content; South American prawn feed falls somewhere in between the two.
Judging whether shrimp feed is of high or low quality ultimately depends on the farming results. However, the farming results depend not only on the quality of the feed, but also on the shrimp's germplasm and health condition, water quality, stocking density, and the very important rearing management, among other factors. Shrimp raised on good-quality shrimp feed grow quickly, have strong disease resistance, a low feed conversion ratio, bright and translucent body color, and plump flesh. For example: with good whiteleg shrimp feed, under normal circumstances, whiteleg shrimp can be raised to marketable shrimp (size 35-45 shrimp per jin) and harvested for sale in about 80 days, with a feed conversion ratio of 0.9-1.1.
When choosing shrimp feed, how do you distinguish its quality?
1. Look at the main nutritional indicators. Among these, the very important ones are the contents of crude protein, crude fat, lysine, methionine, arginine, available phosphorus (phosphorus that shrimp can digest and absorb), crude fiber, and ash. Most of these indicators are stated on the label and are generally credible; a small portion are not stated, and users cannot send samples for testing. As for the very important various vitamins and trace elements, their contents are not stated. What needs to be pointed out here is that some users look only at the crude protein content and assume that feed with a high protein content is good feed; this is a misunderstanding. As with fish feed, the protein content of shrimp feed is not the higher the better. If the protein and fat contents are too high, this instead affects the growth of fish and shrimp; raising fish and shrimp with such feed not only increases farming costs but also affects the growth of fish and shrimp.
2. Look at the raw materials used. Nutritional indicators only reflect quantity, not quality, and quality is very important. For example: at the same 40 protein, fishmeal protein and soybean meal protein are different, and soybean meal protein is also different from cottonseed meal and rapeseed meal protein. The main raw materials used in shrimp feed should be fishmeal, soybean meal, peanut meal, corn meal, corn gluten meal, high-gluten flour, fish oil, phospholipids, etc. The label generally states the names of the main raw materials, but not the very important proportional amounts.
3. Simple judgment of quality. Here are a few points for users' reference.
1. Color. Good shrimp feed is light grayish-yellow-brown, uniform in color, and oily. However, the color is affected by the color of the raw materials and will vary in depth, so it cannot be regarded as a main quality factor.
2. Odor. Good shrimp feed should have a fresh fragrance of fishmeal, shrimp, or squid. When opened after being sealed for a long time, it should not have a pungent odor, nor should it have the odor of oxidized oil. A clear rather than turbid smell indicates that the fishmeal used is relatively good; a thick, turbid fishmeal smell indicates that more fishmeal and fish oil were used but of relatively poor quality.
3. Appearance requirements. The surface of the shrimp feed is smooth and clean, the broken edges are flat, the lengths are relatively uniform, and the pellets are even.
4. Grinding fineness. Use a glass bottle to crush the shrimp feed and observe the grinding fineness. Good shrimp feed is ground very fine, with no obvious large particles.
5. Water resistance and softening time. Soak the shrimp feed in water; after 2-3 hours, the shrimp feed swells but does not fall apart, does not crack, does not break, and does not split open at both ends. After soaking in water for 30-40 minutes, it is fully softened; when pinched by hand, the shrimp feed has no hard core, and when flattened by pinching it does not fall apart.
6. Simple biological test. Place the soaked and softened shrimp feed in a place where ants are active and flies are likely to go; good shrimp feed will be eaten by ants and flies. If the softened shrimp feed is placed on an ant trail and the ants are unwilling to approach it and detour around it, then this kind of shrimp feed is not very good.
7. Feeding attractiveness. Use a small homemade net to sink a small amount of shrimp feed into the shrimp pond; after about half an hour, lift the small net out of the water and observe how much shrimp feed remains uneaten in the net and how many shrimp are in the net to judge its feeding attractiveness. Generally speaking, good shrimp feed has relatively good feeding attractiveness. However, one cannot judge whether shrimp feed is of high or low quality based only on feeding attractiveness. This is because some shrimp feed, although its intrinsic quality is not very good, has a lot of feeding attractants added, so shrimp will like to eat it very much, yet the farming results are not equally outstanding; some shrimp feed has very good intrinsic quality but no feeding attractants added or only a small amount added, and although shrimp do not like to eat it very much, the farming results are very good. What can be certain is that with good shrimp feed, shrimp will not have feeding obstacles, and once they get used to it they can feed normally.
It should be pointed out that shrimp feed extruded with advanced extruding machines has a darker surface color (after soaking in water, the black color fades relatively quickly, turning grayish-yellow-brown), a weak odor, and reduced feeding attractiveness due to the processing technology, but its farming results are in no way inferior to those of pelleted shrimp feed, and it has the advantages of killing all pathogens, good physical properties, and high digestibility.
4. Choose manufacturers and brand-name products. Shrimp feed is a high-grade feed, with relatively high requirements for formula, raw materials, processing, and quality. Large companies and brand-name manufacturers operating legitimately generally have relatively strong technical strength, relatively strict formula management, relatively careful raw material selection, relatively advanced production equipment, and relatively standardized production process management and product quality management; therefore, their product quality is relatively reliable and stable.
Of course, I do not exclude small factories and off-brand products; such products may also include shrimp feed of good quality. But for users, choosing brand-name products produced by large factories is more credible and reliable.