Innovation for Future Feed Manufacturing – FreshFeed

FreshFeed is a three-year project funded by the Swedish Board of Agriculture through the Innovation in Aquaculture call. The project aims to develop new methods for producing fish feed using novel, high-moisture raw materials available in Sweden. By combining innovative processing technology with ingredients derived from local side streams and other underutilised resources, FreshFeed will promote more efficient resource use and validate novel feed-processing technology at pilot scale. The project will also strengthen Swedish expertise in animal-feed production and provide practical guidance for aquafeed producers, thereby helping to reduce dependence on imported feed ingredients and improve the sustainability and resilience of Swedish aquaculture.

Potential raw materials to be studied include blue mussels, other marine side streams, brewery co-products, insect larvae and single-cell proteins. These materials are commonly dried and milled before being incorporated into feed—processing steps that can require considerable amounts of energy. FreshFeed will investigate whether selected raw materials can instead be incorporated into feed production while retaining their high moisture content, thereby potentially reducing energy use. The project will evaluate whether energy savings can be achieved under the processing conditions studied.

Planned project outputs include a mapping of relevant Swedish raw materials; the installation, integration and validation of novel technology within an existing pilot-scale extrusion facility; aquafeed formulations optimised for processing performance; biological evaluation of selected formulations under farm-relevant conditions; a life-cycle assessment; and a business plan for small- to medium-scale aquafeed production.

FreshFeed is coordinated by SLU and carried out together with RISE, the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Ecopelag EF and Renahav Sverige AB.

• SLU: project coordination, feed processing, feed formulation and fish trials.
• RISE: mapping of raw materials, support for feed formulation and life-cycle assessment.
• NMBU: expertise and knowledge transfer related to IsDeCa mixing technology.
• Ecopelag EF: mussel biomass, implementation and commercialisation perspectives, and leadership of the business-plan development.
• Renahav Sverige AB: provision of raw materials and expertise concerning implementation, value chains and commercial feasibility.