AU2003252452B2 - Animal feed material and animal feed using the material - Google Patents

Description

r VERIFICATION OF TRANSLATION Patent Application No. PCT/JP2003/009773 by Nippon Suisan Kaisha, Ltd.

I, Yoshio Aoyagi, of 2-16-6, Miwamidoriyama, Machida-Shi, Tokyo am the translator of the documents attached and I state that the following is a true translation to the best of my knowledge and belief of International Patent Application No. PCT/JP2003/009773 filed 1 August 2003.

DATED this /-dday of February, 2005

DESCRIPTION

Raw Material for Animal Feed and Animal Feed Using the Same TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a raw material for animal feed containing at least one of vegetable protein (albumin) raw materials, such as soybeans, soybean lees (defatted soybeans), wheat, barley, corn gluten meal, and rice bran, and to animal feed using the raw materials.

BACKGROUND ART As well known, livestock and cultivated fishes and shellfishes are an important protein supply source for human beings. Feed for breeding and cultivating those livestock, fishes and shellfishes has been studied in many fields for long years, and more efficient feed raw materials have been developed. As raw materials for livestock feed, soybean lees have received attention because of stability in supply and a low cost. In practical use, however, the soybean lees are in a state of sluggish growth because they contain oligosaccharides, a digestive enzyme obstructing substance, an absorption obstructing substance, a growth obstructing substance, etc. For that reason, a method of providing better feed by removing unnecessary components with alcohol washing and pickling is proposed. Also, a feed raw material having improved digestion absorptivity is produced by incultivating and fermenting molds (Aspergillus and Rhizopus), yeasts (Saccharomycea), bacteria (Bacillus and Lactobacillus), etc. solely or in combination of two or more selected from them. Further, as a method of removing -2unnecessary components in raw materials for animal feed, it is proposed to decompose and remove those unnecessary components by adding cellulase, galactanase or rhamnogalacturonase, which is an enzyme to decompose saccharides or oligosaccharides, and/or phytase which is an enzyme to decompose phytin (phytin acid), and further adding an enzyme, which decomposes protein, for the purpose of increasing digestibility. Those decomposition enzymes are also originated from molds (Aspergillus and Rhizopus), yeasts (Saccharomycea), bacteria (Bacillus and Lactobacillus), etc. Thus, the above-mentioned methods are intended to provide the required enzymes by cultivating microbes that serve as supply sources for those decomposition enzymes, or by producing them with genetic recombination. However, such techniques require preliminary cultivation of microbes, such as molds, yeast and bacteria, and hence necessitate close management from the microbial point of view. Accordingly, there is a need for further simplifying the overall process.

Meanwhile, the industry of breeding and cultivating fishes and shellfishes is becoming more and more popular over the world, and a demand for coastal fish meal as a feed protein source has noticeably increased. In practice, however, a catch of coastal fishes fairly fluctuates and feed producers are troubled with price fluctuations of fish meal. Although attention has hitherto been focused on vegetable proteins, particularly defatted soybean lees, as substitute protein for fish meal in such a situation, there has been a limit in amount of the added vegetable protein because of problems such as that an amino acid balance is lost due to the difference of amino acids required by fishes and shellfishes under breeding and cultivating from amino acids -3 constituting the vegetable protein, that the vegetable protein contains active factors of obstructing digestive enzymes, and that the hard-todigest saccharides in plants obstruct digestion and absorption. The amino acid unbalance can be overcome by using a plurality of feed raw materials, but development of a new technique has been demanded to decompose and remove the hard-to-digest saccharides, phytin (phytic acid).

Against the backdrop described above, with regard to feed for breeding and cultivating fishes and shellfishes, studies have been conducted to increase digestion of the vegetable protein by acting koji (Aspergillus) on defatted soybean lees for fermentation. As a result of studies, it is reported that a growing ability is inferior to the case of employing no soybean lees, but is superior to the case of employing unprocessed soybean lees (see Non-patent Reference 1 listed below).

Also, Patent Reference 1 discloses a method of inoculating soybean lees into microbes for fermentation, and decomposing oligosaccharides in the soybean lees, such as sucrose, raffinose and stachyose, for removal. It is stated in Patent Reference 1 that microbes used in ordinary processes for producing brewed foods and fermented foods, such as Aspergillus, Saccharomyces and Lactobacillus, can be used in the disclosed method, and that a growing ability is improved by feeding, to young fries of yellowtails, fermented soybeans prepared by inoculating those microbes into soybeans.

In practice, however, it is known that as a proportion of vegetable protein raw materials in the feed raw materials increases, eating activities of predatory fishes, such as yellowtails and red sea breams are reduced and a solution for such a reduction of the eating activities is -4demanded (Non-patent Reference 2 listed below). Thus, the eating activities must be induced by adding 5 to 10 of krill meal.

Further, when using vegetable protein raw materials as raw materials for animal feed, the vegetable protein raw materials must be fermented by preliminarily cultivating microbes which are used in ordinary processes for producing brewed foods and fermented foods.

Thus, there has been a demand for simplifying the processes.

Patent Reference 2 discloses feed for aquatic animals employing a krill enzyme (euphausian enzyme). This feed is prepared by mixing the krill enzyme while it retains activity. In other words, Patent Reference 2 is based on the concept of promoting digestion of animals by applying the krill enzyme along with the feed. However, the disclosed feed cannot be used as universal feed raw materials for the reason that there are many limitations in handling the feed, such as non-use of heating, because the krill enzyme must be refined and added to the feed while keeping activity of the krill enzyme.

Patent Reference 3 discloses usage of autolysed krill preparation as a raw feed material. It states that krill proteases help digestion.

Patent Reference 1 JP,A 5-268881 Patent Reference 2 JP,A 8-242777 Patent Reference 3 WO98/34498 Non-patent Reference 1 Journal of The Japanese Society of Fisheries Science, Vol. 59, 1883-1888 (1993) Non-patent Reference 2 Aoki, et al.: Suisanzoshoku, 48, 73-79(2000) DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION 005069420 00 The present invention is directed to providing a raw material for animal feed which c employs at least one of vegetable proteins such as soybeans, defatted soybean lees, wheat, corn gluten meal, rice bran, defatted rice bran, processed bran, rapeseed oil cakes, cottonseed oil lees, and potato protein, and which has increased digestibility of the protein and an effect of inducing eating activities of animals, as well as to animal feed using the raw material for animal feed.

SIn one embodiment, the present invention is directed to a feed for fish, echinoderms and/or crustaceans, comprising a material prepared by processing a CN1 vegetable protein raw material with a non-autolyzed krill component containing an c 10 enzyme having an activity to decompose hard-to-digest saccharides, and whose free amino acids I total amino acids is not more than Preferably, the present invention resides in a raw material for animal feed, which have the following features to A raw material for animal feed, comprising a material prepared by processing a vegetable protein raw material with a not-autolyzed krill component.

A raw material for animal feed according to the above wherein the treated material is obtained by mixing the vegetable protein raw material and the not-autolyzed krill component, and then aging a mixture.

A raw material for animal feed according to the above or wherein the krill component is an enzyme present in krill or an enzyme solution containing the enzyme present in krill.

A raw material for animal feed according to the above wherein the enzyme solution is an enzyme solution having an enzyme activity to decompose hard-to-digest saccharides.

A raw material for animal feed according to any one of the above to wherein-a raw material or an additives for animal feed which has protease inhibitory effects is used together when the vegetable protein raw material is processed with the not-autolyzed krill component.

A raw material for animal feed according to any one of the above to wherein the vegetable protein raw material is one or more -6selected from among a group consisting of soybeans, defatted soybean lees, corn gluten meal, raw bran, processed bran, wheat, rapeseed oil lees, cottonseed oil lees, and potato protein.

A raw material for animal feed according to any one of the above to wherein the krill component is an Antarctic krill component.

A raw material for animal feed according to any one of the above to wherein the raw material for animal feed is a feed raw material for fishes, echinoderms and/or crustaceans.

A raw material for animal feed according to any one of the above to wherein the animal feed is animal feed for fishes belong to Sparidae, Salmonidae, Carangidae, .or Scombridae.

Also, the present invention resides in animal feed having the following feature Animal feed prepared by mixing the raw material for animal feed according to any one of the above (1).to BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. 1 is a graph showing the efficacy of soybean flour, soybean milk and glair, which have protease inhibitory effects, on krill enzymes.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A raw material for animal feed according to the present invention is a feed raw material that is used for stock raising, poultry farming, and fish farming, and that is employed as a protein supply source. The feed of the present invention is especially suitable for cultivating fishes and crustaceans. Examples of the cultivated fishes, echinoderms and crustaceans include red sea breams, salmons, young yellowtails, -7hardtails, trout, turbots, tunas, eels, sea urchin and shrimps, which are usually cultivated.

In the present invention, any type of vegetable protein raw material can be used so long as it is usually employed substituted for an animal protein raw material of raw materials for animal feed. Main examples of the vegetable protein raw materials include soybeans, defatted soybean lees, corn gluten meal, raw bran, processed bran, wheat, rapeseed oil lees, cottonseed oil lees, and potato protein.

Krill used in the present invention is preferably an Antarctic krill because of being abundant as natural resources and having high enzyme activity. However, any other type of krill can also be employed so long as it has a comparable level of activity.

A krill component, which can be krill per se, a minced krill, or an enzyme present in krill which is selectively obtained by squeezing the krill, is mixed with the vegetable protein raw material, and then aging the mixture.

It is to be noted that the krill, and the krill squeezed liquid, each containing the in-krill present enzyme, must have activity effective in decomposing hard-to-digest saccharides. This activity can easily confirmed with thin layer chromatography. The activity of decomposing the hard-to-digest saccharides is measured as follows. Taking krill as an example, the krill is minced and a solid part is separated for removal.

After adding an oligosaccharide, such as cellobiose or maltohexaose, to it so as to have a final concentration of 1 a resulting solution is agitated at 40 °C for 2 hours. Then, the solution is subjected to centrifugal separation for 10 minutes under conditions of 3000 rpm and 4 and a resulting 10 jiL of supernatant is spotted on a silica gel -8thin-layer plate and developed by using a solution of butanol propanol water (1 3 2) for color development with a solution of orcinol sulfuric acid. The activity of decomposing the hard-to-digest saccharides is confirmed by checking whether spots of the oligosaccharide, such as cellobiose or maltohexaose, disappear completely and only spots of monosaccharides, which are possibly O-glucose, c-glucose, etc., appear as a result of the above-mentioned process. Then, the krill used in the present invention is limited to one for which the activity has been confirmed in such a way.

The krill squeezed liquid is also used after confirming the activity in the same way as that described above.

A raw material for animal feed according to the present invention is produced through steps of adding the krill, the minced krill or the krill squeezed liquid to the vegetable protein raw material containing the hard-to-digest saccharides, aging a resulting mixture at 20 to 60 °C, preferably 30 to 50 0 C, for 1 to 48 hours, preferably 2 to 6 hours, holding the mixture at temperatures not lower than 80 0 C, preferably 85 for minutes for sterilization under heating, and drying it. During the aging step, the mixture is agitated. When the agitation is difficult to perform, clear water may be added so that sufficient aging is ensured.

Though the time for the aging has to be controlled depending on the amount of the enzyme for the amount of vegetable protein, it is favorable to choose the condition to produce less free amino acids because free amino acids make the feed consumption rate lower.

Animal feed is prepared by using, as a raw material, the raw material for animal feed according to the present invention.

-9- The animal feed of the present invention can be produced by processing and shaping the raw material for animal feed according to the present invention together with any other type of feed raw material.

Since the raw material for animal feed according to the present invention can be provided in the powdery form through the heating and drying steps after processing the krill, it can easily be employed as raw materials for various types of feed, particularly as a substitute for animal protein. Regarding the field of fish farming, the raw material for animal feed according to the present invention can be used as a substitute for fish meal.

Operation By adding the krill, the minced krill, or the krill squeezed liquid, each having the activity of decomposing hard-to-digest saccharides, to the vegetable protein raw material containing the hard-to- digest saccharides, and then aging the mixture, digestibility of the vegetable protein is improved.

Also, the improved digestibility of the vegetable protein gives the raw material for animal feed with the effect of inducing eating activities of animals.

Thus, it is possible to provide the raw material for animal feed, which can noticeably reduce a proportion of the animal protein raw material used in the feed. Further, the animal feed using the raw material for animal feed can be provided.

The present invention will be described in more detail below in connection with Examples. Note that the present invention is in no way restricted by the following Examples.

Comparative Example After mincing 25 kg of krill having the activity of decomposing hard-to-digest saccharides, 30 kg of defatted soybean was added to the minced krill, and a resulting mixture was agitated under heating at 40 °C for 2 hours, thereby preparing decomposed and defatted soybean lees (hereinafter referred to as "soybean lees processed with minced krill").

Example 2 saccharides After squeezing krill having the activity of decomposing hard-to-digest saccharides to obtain 10 weight% of squeezed liquid (enzyme solution) from the krill, 30 kg of defatted soybean was added to the minced krill, and a resulting mixture was agitated under heating at oC for 2 hours, thereby preparing decomposed and defatted soybean lees (hereinafter referred to as "soybean lees processed with krill enzyme liquid").

Example 3 After mincing 25 kg of krill having the activity of decomposing hard-to-digest saccharides, 250 g of glair and 30 kg of defatted soybean was added to the minced krill, and a resulting mixture was agitated under heating at 40 oC for 2 hours, thereby preparing decomposed and defatted soybean lees (hereinafter referred to as "krill-processed soybean lees added with glair").

Example 4 Breeding experiments were conducted for 56 days using red sea bream (average weight of 17.9 g) as test fish. Mixed compositions of breeding feed used in the experiments are shown in Table 1, and breeding results are shown in Table 2 and 3 given below.

September 13, 2004 11 Table 1 Mixed Compositions of Feed Used in Tests for Breeding Red Sea Bream Zone 1 Zone 2 Zone 3 Zone 4 Comparative Example Example 2 Example 3 Fish meal 61.5 34.4 34.3 34.6 Soybean lees 37.5 processed with krill Krill-processed soybean lees added 37.5 with glair Soybean lees processed with krill 26.4 enzyme liquid Fish oil 8.0 8.1 8.7 8.1 Rice bran 15.5 5.0 4.5 4.8 Krill meal 11.1 Wheat 8.0 8.0 8.0 Starch 5.0 5.0 5.0 Mixture of vitamin and 2.0 2.0 2.0 minerals Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 Table 2 Zone 1 Zone 2 Zone 3 Zone 4 Comparative Example Example 2 Example 3 Start of breeding 17.9 17.9 17.8 17.8 8 th Week after start of 60.6 59.5 61.1 62.0 breeding_ Increase of weight 42.7 41.6 43.2 44.2 Table 3 Feed Free amino acids Conversion Total amino acids Rate in the feed Zone 1 (fish meal) 84.1 2.4 Zone 2 (Comparative Example) 77.4 Zone 3 (Example 3) 83.3 Zone 4 (Example 2) 85.2 4.3 September 13, 2004 12 As will be apparent from those test results, a significant difference in growth of the test fish was not found between Zone 1, in which no defatted soybean lees were added, and other Zones. Thus, it was confirmed that a large amount of defatted soybean lees processed with the minced krill or the krill squeezed liquid (enzyme liquid) can be added to feed for red sea bream. In other words, the effectiveness of aging of the defatted soybean lees with krill was confirmed.

The growth of the zone 3, wherein glair, which has protease inhibitory effects, was used together, was in no way inferior to that of the zone 2, wherein glaire was not used. There was a negative correlation between free amino acids Total amino acids in the feed and feed consumption rate(%).

Example Breeding experiments were conducted for 84 days using rainbow trout (average weight of 10.6 g) as test fish. Mixed compositions of breeding feed used in the experiments are shown in Table 4, and breeding results are shown in Table 5 and 6 given below.

Table 4 Mixed Compositions of Feed Used in Tests for Breeding Rainbow Trout Zone 5 Zone 6 Zone 7 Zone 8 Zone 9 Zone Components Fish meal Comparativ Example Example Krill meal Commeronly e Example 3 2 cial _enzyme Anchovy meal 55.50 28.00 28.00 28.50 43.20 26.00 Krill meal 11.10 12.50 12.50 Defatted 25.00 soybean lees September 13, 2004 13processed with commercial enzyme Soybean lees 37.50 processed with krill Krill-processe 37.50 d soybean lees added with glair Soybean lees 26.40 processed with krill enzyme liquid Wheat meal 20.50 10.20 10.20 9.80 20.50 11.50 defatted rice bran Tapioca starch 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 Sardine oil 14.00 14.30 14.30 14.20 13.80 15.00 Mixture of 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 5.00 vitamin and minerals Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 100.0 Table Results of Tests for Breeding Rainbow Trout Zone 5 Zone 6 Zone 8 Zone 9 Zone Fish meal Comparative Example Krill meal Commeronly Example 2 cial enzyme Start of breeding 10.63 10.61 10.59 10.61 10.60 End of breeding 27.24 27.61 29.15 25.06 23.61 (84 days) Increase of 16.61 17.00 18.56 14.45 13.01 weight (g) September 13, 2004 -14- Table 6 Feed Free amino acids Conversion /Total amino acids Rate in the feed Zone 5 (fish meal) 96.2 1.6 Zone 6 (Comparative Example) 87.4 7.3 Zone 7 (Example 3) 88.7 As will be apparent from Table 5, in comparison with the control zone in which no defatted soybean lees were added, the zone using the minced krill (Comparative Example) and the zone using the krill enzyme liquid (Example 3) are more effective in increasing weight (growth).

Also, these two zones are more effective than the krill meal zone (zone 9) in which only krill meal was added. Thus, it was confirmed that processing the defatted soybean lees was effective. Further, it was confirmed that fish growth was inferior in the zone using commercially available cellulase (commercial enzyme zone). In other words, the necessity of aging the defatted soybean lees with krill was found.

There was a negative correlation between free amino acids Total amino acids in the feed and feed consumption rate(%).

Test example 1 Effects of protease inhibitors on krill eznymes In this test example, Summer krill which was caught in February 2002 and Winter krill which was caught in May 2002 were used.

Solutions (12%w/v) of soybean flour and glair power were prepared. To 3.0 mL of the squeezed krill liquid of Summer krill and September 13, 2004 005069420 00 S Winter krill, 0.1 mL of water, soybean flour solution, soybean milk and glair solution was c added respectively. The concentration of soybean flour or glaire was 0.4% in solid.

Protease activities and glycosidase activities were measured of these squeezed krill liquid.

These activities were compared with the value of control, wherein the activity (measured by the increase of Absorbance) of control was 1.

N As shown in Fig. 1, soybean flour, soybean milk and glair inhibited the protease of I/3 krill, however they did not inhibit the glycosidase of krill.

(i/ INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY SThe present invention is able to provide a raw material for animal feed using i0 vegetable protein, which can increase digestibility of the vegetable protein and develop an effect of inducing eating activities of animals.

Also, the present invention is able to provide animal feed using the raw material for animal feed as a raw material, which can noticeably reduce a proportion of an animal protein raw material used in the feed.

Reference to any prior art in the specification is not, and should not be taken as, an acknowledgment, or any form of suggestion, that this prior art forms part of the common general knowledge in Australia or any other jurisdiction or that this prior art could reasonably be expected to be ascertained, understood and regarded as relevant by a person skilled in the art.

As used herein, except where the context requires otherwise, the term "comprise" and variations of the term, such as "comprising", "comprises" and "comprised", are not intended to exclude other additives, components, integers or steps.

Claims (8)

1. A feed for fish, echinoderms and/or crustaceans, comprising a material prepared Sby processing a vegetable protein raw material with a non-autolyzed krill component containing an enzyme having an activity to decompose hard-to-digest saccharides, and whose free amino acids total amino acids is not more than C

2. A feed for fish, echinoderms and/or crustaceans according to Claim 1, wherein Sthe treated material is obtained by mixing said vegetable protein raw material and 0 said non-autolyzed krill component, and then aging the mixture.

3. A feed for fish, echinoderms and/or crustaceans according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein said krill component is an enzyme present in krill or an enzyme solution containing said enzyme present in krill.

4. A feed for fish, echinoderms and/or crustaceans according to any one of the Claims 1 to 3, wherein a raw material or an additives for feed which has protease inhibitory effects is used together when the vegetable protein raw material is processed with the non-autolyzed krill component.

A feed for fish, echinoderms and/or crustaceans according to any one of Claims 1 to 4, wherein said vegetable protein raw material is one or more selected from among a group consisting of soybeans, defatted soybean lees, corn gluten meal, raw bran, processed bran, wheat, rapeseed oil lees, cottonseed oil lees, and potato protein.

6. A feed for fish, echinoderms and/or crustaceans according to any one of Claims 1 to 5, wherein said krill component is an Antarctic krill component.

7. A feed for fish, echinoderms and/or crustaceans according to any one of Claims 1 to 6, wherein the feed is for fish belong to Sparidae, Salmonidae, Carangidae, or Scombridae.

8. A feed according to Claim 1, substantially as hereinbefore described. Dated 10 January 2008 Freehills Patent Trade Mark Attorneys Patent Attorneys for the Applicant: Nippon Suisan Kaisha, Ltd