AU636281B1 - - Google Patents

Description

P/00/012 Section 29(4) Regulation 3.2

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICA ON FOR A PETTY PATENT r r r o f Name of Applicant: Actual Inventor(s): Address for Service: Invention Title: DEAKIN UNIVERSITY PETER JOHN HANNA TREVOR ANDREW ANDERSON DAVIES COLLISON CAVE, Patent Attorneys, 1 Little Collins Street, Melbourne, 3000.

AN AQUATIC ANIMAL FOOD COMPOSITION 9 @5 Details of Associated Provisional Application(s): No(s): PK 4951/91 filed 6 March, 1991 The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to us: -1- -la AN AQUATIC ANIMAL FOOD COMPOSITION This invention relates to an aquatic animal food composition and to a method for producing same.

Various aquatic animals are now being farmed intensively in rivers, pools, ponds or in the sea. The commercial success of this type of farming is predicated, in part on the animals being protected from disease and predators and being provided with an ample food supply to allow substantial animal growth. Examples of aquatic animals that have been farmed with varying degrees of success include prawns, crayfish, lobster, yabbies, gastropods such as trochus and abalone.

A major problem with previously employed feeding 00co protocols stems from the fact that some aquatic animals are slow moving bottom feeders and many food compositions rapidly deteriorate or wash away before the bottom feeders have an opportunity to feed. This has the additional disadvantage of causing or contributing to pollution, especially in small ponds or pools.

.a e The present inventors have found in work leading up 25 to the present invention that powdered meals and various biscuit products comprising compressed meals are particularly unsatisfactory for the reasons stated above.

There is a need, therefore, for an aquatic food composition which avoids the problems of the previously employed foods and which is particularly suitable for slow moving bottom feeders.

Accordingly, one aspect of the present invention provides an aquatic animal food composition comprising: about 2 to about 50% by weight of aquatic 920306,EJHSPE.031,aquaic.spe, 1 -2animal food other than semolina, and not less than about 50% by weight of binder material of which not less than about 35% by weight of the whole of the composition is semolina, wherein said composition is in the form of discrete pieces and contains an amount of semolina sufficient such that said pieces will remain substantially intact in calm water for a period of at least 3 days.

Another aspect of the present invention contemplates a method of manufacturing an aquatic animal food composition, said method comprising: forming a composition comprising about 2 to about 50% by weight of aquatic 15 animal food other than semolina, and (ii) not less than about 50% by weight of 0r binder material of which not less than about 35% by weight of the whole of the composition is semolina, forming said composition into a dough, and forming the dough into discrete pieces; wherein said discrete pieces and the amount of S"semolina in the composition is sufficient such that said pieces will remain substantially intact in calm water for 25 a period of at least 3 days.

Yet another aspect of the present invention provides an aquatic animal composition manufactured by the method comprising: forming a composition comprising about 2 to about 50% by weight of aquatic animal food other than semolina, and (ii) not less than about 50% by weight of binder material of which not less than about 35% by weight of the whole of the composition is semolina, forming said composition into a dough, and 920306,FJHSPE.031,aquatic.spe,2 -3forming the dough into discrete pieces; wherein said discrete pieces and the amount of semolina in the composition is sufficient such that said pieces will remain substantially intact in calm water for a period of at least 3 days.

With regard to the aquatic animal food, while semolina is an example of such a food, it seems to have poor animal attractiveness and accordingly at least about 2% of the c:omposition is an aquatic animal food other than semolina. The "aquatic animal food" of the present invention serves to attract an aquatic animal to a substance which provides some of its nutrient requirements. Examples of such foods include, but are not limited to, algae and alginates. The food composition of the present invention may cor.cain a single type of aquatic animal food or may contain more than one type Part or the whole of the aquatic animal food other than semolina may itself be a binding material. In this respect, alginates, animal meal and wheat gluten have binding properties.

In the event that the aquatic animal food other than semolina has little or no binding property, it may be necessary to increase the content of binder material to at least 70% by weight of the whole composition. Since semolina is the preferred binder material, it is preferable to increase the semolina content.

The term "discrete pieces" as used herein includes discrete particles, strips, sheets or other shape or form such that the discrete pieces remain "substantially in tact in calm water for a period of at least 3 days. Typically, the discrete pieces are of a size not less than 1mm x 1mm x 1mm. Typically for abalone, the size is from about 10mm x 10mm x 3mm to about 10mm x x 3mm. All such sizes are merely typical and are non-limiting to 930209,EJHSPE.031,aquadc sp,3 the present invention. The discrete pieces may also not necessarily be of uniform size. In addition, depending on the size of the pieces, the amount of semolina may need to be adjusted to ensure the intactness of the pieces in calm water for at least 3 days.

Preferably, the semolina has a mean particle size of 200 50 micrometers and most preferably 90% of the semolina has a particle size of 200 10 micrometers.

Preferably, the other ingredients in he food composition have a similar particle. It is to be noted that using particles of size greater than 300 micrometres usually results in an inferior product.

15 The semolina is preferably made from a hard wheat such as Durum grade wheat or Hard Red Spring wheat.

Other foods which can be incorporated include carbohydrates, minerals, proteins, oils, vitamins. The composition may also contain non-food material such as agents to combat disease or to attract certain animals.

The dough is preferably formed by adding water in an amount of from about 10 to about 50% of the weight of the dry ingredients.

If desired, the sheets may be dried after their formation and preferably to a water content of less than as this facilitates long term storage of the food composition.

The aquatic animal food composition of the present invention is particularly suitable and specifically exemplified for abalone. However, the present invention extends to the use of the animal food composition for other aquatic animals including, but not limited to, prawns, crayfish, lobster, yabbies and gastropods such as 920306,E-JHSPE.031,aquacspe,4 trochus.

The present invention further extends to the animal food composition packaged for sale in a suitable container. In this regard, the composition may be packaged in component form for mixing prior to feeding.

The following non-limiting Examples further describe the present invention.

EXAMPLE 1 PREPARATION OF FOOD COMPOSITION The following food compositions were prepared: Composition I 15 A 100g amount of dry semolina was blended with 2g of homogenized red alga and formed into a dough by the addition of water.

The dough was passed through an Atlas pasta making machine to produce sheets which were subsequently cut and dried to form individual pieces of either 50mm x 10mm x 3mm or 10mm x 10mm x 3mm. These were then broken into smaller pieces.

25 Composition II Same as Composition I but 2g of Na alginate was used in lieu of red alga.

Composition III Same as Composition I but 2g of Na alginate with a high H/G ratio was used in lieu of red alga.

Composition IV Same as Composition II but 2g of fish-mix vitamin premix from Colborn-Dawes, Australia, was additionally incorporated.

920306,EJHSPE.031,aquatic.spe,5 -6- Composition V Same as Composition IV but 2g of mineral supplement from Colborn-Dawes, Australia, as additionally incorporated.

EXAMPLE 2 EFFECT OF THE FOOD COMPOSITIONS ON ABALONE The compositions described in Example 1 were fed to greenlip (Haliotis laevicata) and blacklip (Haliotis ruber) abalone over a period of 4 months. Animals were kept in 120 litre glass aquaria supplied with flow through seawater at a rate 120 litre/hour.

15 Growth of the abalone was found to be excellent. Of the compositions, II, IV and V were preferred.

The pieces of foodstuff held together in calm seawater over more than 3 days.

EXAMPLE 3 In a further experiment, food compositions were prepared as in Example 1 but additionally containing up 25 to 60% wheat gluten or (ii) 60% fish meal.

These foodstuff also showed satisfactory structural integrity after immersion in calm seawater for in excess of 3 days.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention described herein is susceptible to variations and modifications other than those specifically described. It is to be understood that the invention includes all such variations and modifications. The invention also includes all of the steps, features, compositions and compounds referred to or indicated in 920306,EJHSPE.031,aquatic.spe,6 -7this specification, individually or collectively, and any and all combinations of any two or more of said steps or features.

920306,E-JHSPE.031,aquatic~spe,7

Claims (3)

1. An aquatic animal food composition comprising: 2 to 50% by weight of aquatic animal food as hereinbefore defined other than semolina, and not less than 50% by weight of binder material of which not less than 35% by weight of the whole of the composition is semolina, wherein said composition is in the form of discrete pieces and contains an amount of semolina sufficient such that said pieces wil remain substantially intact in calm water for a period of at least 3 days.

2. The aquatic animal food composition according to claim 1 manufactured by the method comprising: forming a composition comprising 2 to 50% by weight of aquatic animal food other than semolina, and (ii) not less than 50% by weight of binder material of which not less than 35% by weight of the whole of the composition is semolina, forming said composition into a dough, and forming the dough into discrete pieces; Swherein said discrete pieces and the amount of semolina in the composition is sufficient such that said sheets will remain substantially intact in calm water for Sa period of at least 3 days.

3. The aquatic animal food composition according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the sheets so produced are dried to a water content of less than .DATED this llth day of February, 1993. SDEAKIN UNIVERSITY by its Patent Attorneys DAVIES COLLISON CAVE S. 930211,EJHSPE.031,aquatic.spe, ('VJ^ -9- ABSTRACT The present invention relates to an aquatic animal food composition comprising: about 2 to about 50% by weight of aquatic animal food other than semolina, and not less than about 50% by weight of binder material of which not less than about 35% by weight of the whole of the composition is semolina, wherein said composition is in the form of discrete pieces and contains an amount of semolina sufficient such that said sheets will remain substantially intact in calm water for a period of at least 3 days. S.e@: S 0* *S oo oo t o o oo o oom 920306,EJHSPE.031,aquaticcspe,9