New Trend in Feed Raw Material Optimization: Gradual Replacement of Meat Bone Meal by Fish Meal Becomes the Industry’s Preferred Choice

Against stricter supervision on feed safety and refined development of the breeding industry, fish meal, with its comprehensive advantages,is gradually replacing meat and bone meal and emerging as the mainstream direction for feed formula upgrading.

Nutritionally, high-quality fish meal contains crude protein of 55%~67%. Its lysine and methionine contents are approximately 1.9 times and 1.6 times those of meat and bone meal respectively.It features balanced amino acid ratio, proper calcium phosphorus ratio, with protein digestibility reaching 88%~93%.By contrast, conventional meat and bone meal only has 40%~49% crude protein and a high crudeprotein content of 27%~40%. It lacks essential limiting amino acids,so additional crystalline amino acids are usually required after inclusion, which increases feed formula costs.

In terms of quality stability, meat and bone meal is sourced from diverse materials. Subject to fluctuations in the slaughter industry,it sees considerable batch-to-batch nutritional variation and is prone to adulteration. By contrast,fish meal is produced under global standardized protocols with consistent raw materials and quality standards.Its well-established bulk trade helps feed enterprises stabilize formulas and lock in procurement costs.

Numerous feeding tests prove that substituting meat and bone meal with fish meal in aquaculture feed increases weight gain of fish and shrimp,lowers feed conversion rates and optimizes intestinal health. For piglet and chicken starter feeds,the replacement helps raise feed intake and sharply cut diarrhea and mortality rates. In addition,global and local regulations increasingly limit the use of meat and bone meal in young animal feeds amid mad cow disease and salmonella control efforts,which heightens its compliance risks.

The industry now has well-established replacement schemes. Meat and bone meal can be completely replaced with fish meal in high-grade feeds for young livestock.For feeds for adult livestock and aquatic products, gradual replacement at a ratio of 40% to 70% is applied to balance costs and farming benefits.

Chengzhu, a specialist dedicated to feed raw materials, keeps pace with the industry trend of formula upgrading. Drawing on cutting-edge test data,it provides feed and breeding enterprises with support services for raw material selection and formula optimization,helping clients steadily implement the replacement of meat and bone meal with fish meal.

Data source：1.http://www.hnxmsyzz.com/mobile/24-0-4023-1.html 2.https://www.agrijournal.com.cn/article/detail/a476499439f347b381ca440e1c0ce22d 3.https://m.ebiotrade.com/newsf/2025-5/20250525073007037.htm 4.https://m.feedtrade.com.cn/nav/9/1711/2019626 5.http://ssswxb.ihb.ac.cn/cn/article/doi/10.7541/2020.011