Title of Invention	"A METHOD OF PRODUCING A FEED FOR AQUATIC CREATURES AND THE FEED OBTAINED THEREOF"
Abstract	The present invention relates to a method of producing a feed for aquatic creatures, the method comprising forming a composition having a balance of various nutrients required of a composite diet for said aquatic creatures, comprising the steps of: i) grinding or otherwise breaking down one or more fresh cultured polychetes, ii) adding at least one naturally-produced or organic material thereto so as to form said composition, wherein one or more culture parameters during cultivation of said polychetes are controlled so as to optimise the occurrence of one or more of the nutrients in said cultured polychetes, and iii) forming said composition in to a plurality of pellets or particles; and a feed for aquatic creatures, comprising a cultured fresh polychete product and at least one carrier material, said carrier material being a naturally-produced or organic product wherein the feed optionally comprises of a naturally occurring material.

Title of Invention

"A METHOD OF PRODUCING A FEED FOR AQUATIC CREATURES AND THE FEED OBTAINED THEREOF"

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of producing a feed for aquatic creatures, the method comprising forming a composition having a balance of various nutrients required of a composite diet for said aquatic creatures, comprising the steps of: i) grinding or otherwise breaking down one or more fresh cultured polychetes, ii) adding at least one naturally-produced or organic material thereto so as to form said composition, wherein one or more culture parameters during cultivation of said polychetes are controlled so as to optimise the occurrence of one or more of the nutrients in said cultured polychetes, and iii) forming said composition in to a plurality of pellets or particles; and a feed for aquatic creatures, comprising a cultured fresh polychete product and at least one carrier material, said carrier material being a naturally-produced or organic product wherein the feed optionally comprises of a naturally occurring material.

Full Text	This invention relates to fish feed, and more particularly but not exclusively, to an improved composite fish feed for use in feeding cultured fish in aquatic farms and the like. In any environment where fish or similar aquatic creatures are bred in captivity, it is obviously necessary to provide them with a balanced diet containing all of the nutrients which would be available to them in the wild, so as to ensure that healthy fish are reared. There are many different types of feed available. For example, International Patent Application No. WO02/24000 describes feed pellets consisting of wheat, fish meal and maize gluten in various quantities. However, there are a number of issues to be considered in connection with fish feed of this type, including the sustainability of the ingredients, the provision of a balanced diet, and the preservation of the water quality over a period of time. International Patent Application WO02/00035 Al describes abioactive food complex product for use in aquaculture of shellfish and finfish. It is stated herein that aquaculture of shellfish and finfish provides high-value food products for human consumption and has been the most rapidly growing sector in international agribusiness. It is further stated that continued progress in aquaculture is limited by (a) the lack of adequate commercial feeds during critical hatchery and nursery phases, and (b) the devastating losses to disease in all production phases, particularly in shrimp farming. It goes on to say that hatchery and nursery operations typically depend on supplies of fresh and live food organisms, including polychete worms to produce aquaculture seedstock for grow-out and production aquafarms. However, because these foods are collected from the wild, they typically carry high bacterial loads. Thus, the use of fresh and live food organisms (collected from the wild) increases the risk of disease in the hatchery and these disease agents can be transported to nursery and grow-out facilities via the seedstock. This problem is addressed in WO02/00035 by providing a bioactive food complex including selected probiotics incorporated within the feed to assist in controlling bacterial diseases in aquaculture. However, a further problem, which is not addressed in WO02/00035, is that the nutritional value of the wild, fresh food organisms which can be used in the type of bioactive food complex described is variable and is, in many cases, very low, depending on the environment from which they are collected. Some may, for example, have lived in an environment in which they were exposed to toxins; others may have had a shortage of nutritional sustenance. Thus, there is no consistency in the nutritional value of the resultant feed. We have now devised an improved fish feed (which term is intended to include "bait" and the like). In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of producing a feed for aquatic creatures, the method comprising the steps of grinding or otherwise breaking down one or more fresh cultured polychetes, adding at least one naturally-produced or organic material thereto so as to form a composition having a balance of various nutrients required of a composite diet for said aquatic creatures, and forming said composition into a plurality of pellets or particles. The composition beneficially has said cultured polychetes as its principal component. Also in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a feed produced in accordance with the method of the first aspect of the present invention. In accordance with the second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a feed for aquatic creatures, especially fish, comprising a cultured polychete product and at least one carrier material, said carrier material being a naturally-produced product. Also in accordance with the second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of producing a feed for aquatic creatures, especially fish, the method comprising the step of combining or mixing a cultured polychete product with at least one naturally-produced or organic carrier material. The term "cultured" used herein is intended to mean "bred and/or reared in a controlled environment, such as a farm", as opposed to being caught in the wild. It will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that a polychete is any of a various annelid worms of the class Polychaeta, including mostly marine worms such as the lugworm, and characterised by fleshy paired appendages tipped with bristles on each body segment. However, the polychetes can be of marine or non-marine (i.e. freshwater or terrestrial) origin. Thus, the present invention provides a feed for aquatic creatures which can be totally organic, entirely sustainable (cultured polychetes can be farmed in vast quantities, as required, under controlled conditions, which is obviously beneficial to the quality of the polychetes), provides a composite diet for fish and other aquatic creatures including a balance of various nutrients. Cultured polychetes are already known and widely used as brood stock maturation feed, but the whole worm is generally considered to be too large to feed young or newly-hatched fish (or fry). As a result of the present invention, and as the polychete culture develops, the culture parameters can be manipulated so as to harvest the target species (polychetes, such as ragworms) at phases of optimal nutritional profiles. The cultured polychetes can be studied closely, and the resultant feeds tested, to identify further, specific feed-enhancing properties of various types of polychetes, which properties can be specifically promoted during polychete culture. As the true nature of the polychete (say ragworm) culture is ecologically relatively friendly, the feed given to the ragworms can be carefully adjusted, relative to the commercial foods currently available, so as to incorporate various specialised ingredients, such as algaes, yeasts and brans, so as to enhance the above-mentioned properties of the polychetes. Such ingredients can be sourced from existing industries. The method and feed of the present invention results in optimum feeds, and it has been shown by various recognised authorities in aquaculture that high densities using optimal feeds not only result in increased harvest biomass (and decrease in loss due to disease), but have the additional eco-friendly aspects of the provided facilities. In one embodiment of the invention, the feed may comprise, in various quanitites, ground fresh cultured polychetes, at least one other natural food, such as mussel and/or oyster, and at least one carrier material such as wheat, or the like, which provides protein, bulks up the feed and helps to preserve the quality of the water in which the aquatic creatures live. However, it will be appreciated that there a number of different substances which could be added to the polychetes to provide the required characteristics. The main issue is the use of cultured polychetes used in their fresh, natural state (as opposed to dried and ground). The feed may be formed into pellets or particles of any of a variety of sizes, according to the size of the fish required to be fed therewith. It is, however, relatively important (although not essential) to provide pellets or particles of substantially equal size in a batch of feed. There are many different processes which can be used to produce the feed of the present invention, most of which are known. For example, the ingredients can be mixed together, extruded, passed through a mesh or similar reticulated filter to create strands of a required thickness, and then passed through a spherizer which breaks the strands down into the required size of pellets or particles. An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawing, which is a schematic block diagram of apparatus suitable for use in making feed (or performing a method) according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. In this exemplary embodiment of the invention, fresh, cultured polychetes are ground or otherwise broken down, and then mixed with ground mussel and/or oyster, and a carrier, such as wheat, which provides a good source of protein and helps to preserve water quality in the environment in which it is used. The mixture is passed to an extruder 10 which forces the mixture through a die to create long strands of the material. The strands are then passed through one or more meshes 12 or similar reticulated filter devices, to provide strands of any required thickness. The strands are then passed, via outlet 13, to a device 14 comprising pellet chamber 16 having a rotating knife 18 arranged relative thereto with a drive 20, which is arranged to cut feed pellets into suitable lengths. A specific embodiment of the present invention has been described above by way of example only, and it will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that modifications and variations can be made to the described embodiment, without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. In particular, any suitable pelleting method or apparatus may be used. Furthermore, any suitable organic or naturally-produced materials may be added to the ground fresh polychete material to produce feeds according to the nutritional requirements of the creatures for whom they are intended. I CLAIM: 1. A method of producing a feed for aquatic creatures, the method comprising forming a composition having a balance of various nutrients required of a composite diet for said aquatic creatures, comprising the steps of: i) grinding or otherwise breaking down one or more fresh cultured polychetes, ii) adding at least one naturally-produced or organic material thereto so as to form said composition, wherein one or more culture parameters during cultivation of said polychetes are controlled so as to optimise the occurrence of one or more of the nutrients in said cultured polychetes, and iii) forming said composition in to a plurality of pellets or particles. 2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein naturally-produced or organic material comprises one or more foodstuffs available to said aquatic creatures in the wild. 3. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein said naturally-produced or organic material comprises one or more shellfish, such as mussels and/or oysters. 4. A method as claimed in claim 1, including the step of adding a naturally-produced or organic carrier material to the composition. 5. A method as claimed in claim 4, wherein said carrier material comprises a protein-providing material, such as wheat or the like. 6. A feed for aquatic creatures, comprising a cultured fresh polychete product and at least one carrier material, said carrier material being a naturally-produced or organic product wherein the feed optionally comprises of a naturally occurring material produced by the method of claim 1. 7. A feed substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the foregoing examples and accompanying drawing. 8. A method of producing a feed substantially as herein described with reference to the foregoing examples and accompanying drawing.

Full Text

This invention relates to fish feed, and more particularly but not exclusively, to an improved composite fish feed for use in feeding cultured fish in aquatic farms and the like.
In any environment where fish or similar aquatic creatures are bred in captivity, it is obviously necessary to provide them with a balanced diet containing all of the nutrients which would be available to them in the wild, so as to ensure that healthy fish are reared.
There are many different types of feed available. For example, International Patent Application No. WO02/24000 describes feed pellets consisting of wheat, fish meal and maize gluten in various quantities. However, there are a number of issues to be considered in connection with fish feed of this type, including the sustainability of the ingredients, the provision of a balanced diet, and the preservation of the water quality over a period of time.
International Patent Application WO02/00035 Al describes abioactive food complex product for use in aquaculture of shellfish and finfish. It is stated herein that aquaculture of shellfish and finfish provides high-value food products for human consumption and has been the most rapidly growing sector in international agribusiness. It is further stated that continued progress in aquaculture is limited by (a) the lack of adequate commercial feeds during critical hatchery and nursery phases, and (b) the devastating losses to disease in all production phases, particularly in shrimp farming. It goes on to say that hatchery and nursery operations typically depend on supplies of fresh and live food organisms, including polychete worms to produce aquaculture seedstock for grow-out and production aquafarms. However, because these foods are collected from the wild, they typically carry high bacterial loads. Thus, the use of fresh and live food organisms (collected from the wild) increases the risk of disease in the hatchery and these disease agents can be transported to nursery and grow-out facilities via the seedstock. This problem is addressed in WO02/00035 by providing a bioactive food complex including selected probiotics incorporated within the feed to assist in controlling bacterial diseases in aquaculture.
However, a further problem, which is not addressed in WO02/00035, is that the nutritional value of the wild, fresh food organisms which can be used in the type of bioactive food complex described is variable and is, in many cases, very low, depending on the environment from which they are collected. Some may, for example, have lived in an environment in which they were exposed to toxins; others may have had a shortage of nutritional sustenance. Thus, there is no consistency in the nutritional value of the resultant feed.
We have now devised an improved fish feed (which term is intended to include "bait" and the like).
In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of producing a feed for aquatic creatures, the method comprising the steps of grinding or otherwise breaking down one or more fresh cultured polychetes, adding at least one naturally-produced or organic material thereto so as to form a composition having a balance of various nutrients required of a composite diet for said aquatic creatures, and forming said composition into a plurality of pellets or particles.
The composition beneficially has said cultured polychetes as its principal component.
Also in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a feed produced in accordance with the method of the first aspect of the present invention.
In accordance with the second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a feed for aquatic creatures, especially fish, comprising a cultured polychete product and at least one carrier material, said carrier material being a naturally-produced product.
Also in accordance with the second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of producing a feed for aquatic creatures, especially fish, the method comprising the step of combining or mixing a cultured polychete product with at least one naturally-produced or organic carrier material.
The term "cultured" used herein is intended to mean "bred and/or reared in a controlled environment, such as a farm", as opposed to being caught in the wild.
It will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that a polychete is any of a various annelid worms of the class Polychaeta, including mostly marine worms such as the lugworm, and characterised by fleshy paired appendages tipped with bristles on each body segment. However, the polychetes can be of marine or non-marine (i.e. freshwater or terrestrial) origin.
Thus, the present invention provides a feed for aquatic creatures which can be totally organic, entirely sustainable (cultured polychetes can be farmed in vast quantities, as required, under controlled conditions, which is obviously beneficial to the quality of the polychetes), provides a composite diet for fish and other aquatic creatures including a balance of various nutrients. Cultured polychetes are already known and widely used as brood stock maturation feed, but the whole worm is generally considered to be too large to feed young or newly-hatched fish (or fry).
As a result of the present invention, and as the polychete culture develops, the culture parameters can be manipulated so as to harvest the target species (polychetes, such as ragworms) at phases of optimal nutritional profiles. The cultured polychetes can be studied closely, and the resultant feeds tested, to identify further, specific feed-enhancing properties of various types of polychetes, which properties can be specifically promoted during polychete culture.
As the true nature of the polychete (say ragworm) culture is ecologically relatively friendly, the feed given to the ragworms can be carefully adjusted, relative to the commercial foods currently available, so as to incorporate various specialised ingredients, such as algaes, yeasts and brans, so as to enhance the above-mentioned properties of the polychetes. Such ingredients can be sourced from existing industries.
The method and feed of the present invention results in optimum feeds, and it has been shown by various recognised authorities in aquaculture that high densities using optimal feeds not
only result in increased harvest biomass (and decrease in loss due to disease), but have the additional eco-friendly aspects of the provided facilities.
In one embodiment of the invention, the feed may comprise, in various quanitites, ground fresh cultured polychetes, at least one other natural food, such as mussel and/or oyster, and at least one carrier material such as wheat, or the like, which provides protein, bulks up the feed and helps to preserve the quality of the water in which the aquatic creatures live. However, it will be appreciated that there a number of different substances which could be added to the polychetes to provide the required characteristics. The main issue is the use of cultured polychetes used in their fresh, natural state (as opposed to dried and ground). The feed may be formed into pellets or particles of any of a variety of sizes, according to the size of the fish required to be fed therewith. It is, however, relatively important (although not essential) to provide pellets or particles of substantially equal size in a batch of feed.
There are many different processes which can be used to produce the feed of the present invention, most of which are known. For example, the ingredients can be mixed together, extruded, passed through a mesh or similar reticulated filter to create strands of a required thickness, and then passed through a spherizer which breaks the strands down into the required size of pellets or particles.
An embodiment of the present invention will now be described by way of example only and with reference to the accompanying drawing, which is a schematic block diagram of apparatus suitable for use in making feed (or performing a method) according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
In this exemplary embodiment of the invention, fresh, cultured polychetes are ground or otherwise broken down, and then mixed with ground mussel and/or oyster, and a carrier, such as wheat, which provides a good source of protein and helps to preserve water quality in the environment in which it is used. The mixture is passed to an extruder 10 which forces the mixture through a die to create long strands of the material. The strands are then passed through one or more meshes 12 or similar reticulated filter devices, to provide strands of any required thickness. The strands are then passed, via outlet 13, to a device 14 comprising
pellet chamber 16 having a rotating knife 18 arranged relative thereto with a drive 20, which is arranged to cut feed pellets into suitable lengths.
A specific embodiment of the present invention has been described above by way of example only, and it will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art that modifications and variations can be made to the described embodiment, without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. In particular, any suitable pelleting method or apparatus may be used. Furthermore, any suitable organic or naturally-produced materials may be added to the ground fresh polychete material to produce feeds according to the nutritional requirements of the creatures for whom they are intended.

I CLAIM:
1. A method of producing a feed for aquatic creatures, the method comprising
forming a composition having a balance of various nutrients required of a
composite diet for said aquatic creatures, comprising the steps of:
i) grinding or otherwise breaking down one or more fresh cultured
polychetes,
ii) adding at least one naturally-produced or organic material thereto so as to form said composition, wherein one or more culture parameters during cultivation of said polychetes are controlled so as to optimise the occurrence of one or more of the nutrients in said cultured polychetes, and
iii) forming said composition in to a plurality of pellets or particles.
2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein naturally-produced or organic material comprises one or more foodstuffs available to said aquatic creatures in the wild.
3. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein said naturally-produced or organic material comprises one or more shellfish, such as mussels and/or oysters.
4. A method as claimed in claim 1, including the step of adding a naturally-produced or organic carrier material to the composition.
5. A method as claimed in claim 4, wherein said carrier material comprises a protein-providing material, such as wheat or the like.
6. A feed for aquatic creatures, comprising a cultured fresh polychete product and at least one carrier material, said carrier material being a naturally-produced or organic product wherein the feed optionally comprises of a naturally occurring material produced by the method of claim 1.

7. A feed substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the foregoing examples and accompanying drawing.
8. A method of producing a feed substantially as herein described with reference to the foregoing examples and accompanying drawing.

Documents:

2484-DELNP-2005-Abstract-(02-07-2008).pdf

2484-delnp-2005-abstract.pdf

2484-DELNP-2005-Assignment.pdf

2484-DELNP-2005-Claims-(02-07-2008).pdf

2484-DELNP-2005-Claims-(29-08-2008).pdf

2484-DELNP-2005-Claims.pdf

2484-DELNP-2005-Corresopndence-Others-(25-08-2008).pdf

2484-DELNP-2005-Correspndence-Others-(02-07-2008).pdf

2484-DELNP-2005-Correspondence-Others-(28-08-2008).pdf

2484-delnp-2005-correspondence-others.pdf

2484-delnp-2005-correspondence-po.pdf

2484-DELNP-2005-Description (Complete)-02-07-2008.pdf

2484-DELNP-2005-Description (Complete)-29-08-2008.pdf

2484-DELNP-2005-Description (Complete).pdf

2484-DELNP-2005-Drawings-(02-07-2008).pdf

2484-delnp-2005-drawings.pdf

2484-DELNP-2005-Form-1-(02-07-2008).pdf

2484-delnp-2005-form-1.pdf

2484-delnp-2005-form-18.pdf

2484-DELNP-2005-Form-2-(02-07-2008).pdf

2484-delnp-2005-form-2.pdf

2484-DELNP-2005-Form-26-(02-07-2008).pdf

2484-delnp-2005-form-26.pdf

2484-DELNP-2005-Form-3-(28-08-2008).pdf

2484-delnp-2005-form-3.pdf

2484-delnp-2005-form-5.pdf

2484-delnp-2005-pct-210.pdf

2484-DELNP-2005-PCT-304.pdf

2484-DELNP-2005-PCT-308.pdf

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Patent Number

223233

Indian Patent Application Number

2484/DELNP/2005

PG Journal Number

29/2008

Publication Date

26-Sep-2008

Grant Date

09-Sep-2008

Date of Filing

09-Jun-2005

Name of Patentee

ANTHONY GEORGE SMITH

Applicant Address

105, MAES-TY-CANOL, BAGLAND, PORT TALBOT SA12 8UR, U.K.

Inventors:

#	Inventor's Name	Inventor's Address
1	ANTHONY GEORGE SMITH	105, MAES-TY-CANOL, BAGLAN, PORT TALBOT SA12 8UR, U.K

PCT International Classification Number

A23K 1/00

PCT International Application Number

PCT/GB2003/005290

PCT International Filing date

2003-12-03

PCT Conventions:

#	PCT Application Number	Date of Convention	Priority Country
1	0228753.0	2002-12-10	U.K.
2	0312944.2	2003-06-05	U.K.