Feedstuff of high abrasion resistance and good stability in water, containing PUFAs

1. A PUFA (polyunsaturated fatty acid)-containing feedstuff, comprising 2 to 22% by weight of dry biomass, wherein:

a) said biomass is obtained by the fermentation of Labyrinthulea cells;

b) said biomass comprises 25-60 g/kg of sulphate by weight of dry biomass;

c) the 25-60 g/kg of sulphate in said dry biomass is from sulphate present during the fermentation of said Labyrinthulea cells;

and wherein the PUFA-containing feedstuff is characterized by an abrasion resistance, based on its Pellet Durability Index (PDI), of at least 91% and a water stability of at least 96%.

2. The PUFA-containing feedstuff of claim 1 , wherein the Labyrinthulea cells are in the family Thraustochytriaceae.

3. The PUFA-containing feedstuff of claim 2 , wherein said feedstuff contains biomass in an amount of 9 to 20% by weight.

4. The PUFA-containing feedstuff of claim 2 , wherein the Labyrinthulea cells in the family Thraustochytriaceae are of the species Schizochytrium or Aurantiochytrium.

5. The PUFA-containing feedstuff of claim 1 , and wherein said feedstuff is coated with oil in an amount of 3-18% by weight.

6. The PUFA-containing feedstuff of claim 5 , wherein said feedstuff is coated with 7-13% by weight of a coating that is a vegetable oil.

7. The PUFA-containing feedstuff of claim 1 , wherein the Labyrinthulea biomass is present in an amount of 11-18% by weight.

8. The PUFA-containing feedstuff of claim 1 , wherein the Labyrinthulea biomass is present in an amount of 4 to 20% by weight and said feedstuff is coated with oil in an amount of 5-15% by weight.

9. The PUFA-containing feedstuff of claim 1 , wherein the abrasion resistance is at least 94%.

10. The PUFA-containing feedstuff of claim 9 , wherein the water stability is at least 98%.

11. The PUFA-containing feedstuff of claim 1 , wherein the water stability is at least 98%.

12. The PUFA-containing feedstuff of claim 1 , further comprising one or more of the following:

a) a polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content of 0.8 to 8% by weight;

b) an omega-3 fatty acid content of 0.8 to 8% by weight; and

c) a DHA content of 0.1 to 4.0% by weight.

13. The PUFA-containing feedstuff of claim 1 , comprising the following properties:

a) a total protein content of 33 to 67% by weight;

b) a total fat content of 5 to 25% by weight;

c) a total starch content of at most 25% by weight; and

wherein the PUFA-containing feedstuff of claim 1 , further comprises one or more of the following:

e) a polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content of 0.8 to 8% by weight;

f) an omega-3 fatty acid content of 0.8 to 8% by weight; and/or

g) a DHA content of 0.1 to 4.0% by weight.

14. The PUFA-containing feedstuff of claim 1 , wherein said biomass comprises 25-40 g/kg of sulphate by weight of dry biomass.

15. A process for producing the PUFA-containing feedstuff of claim 1 , wherein said process comprises extruding a PUFA-containing biomass having a sulphate content of 25 to 60 g per kilogram of biomass together with other feedstuff components.

16. The process of claim 15 , wherein the extrudate is dried and then loaded with oil.

17. The process of claim 16 , wherein extrusion and drying is followed by coating of the extrudate with oil in an amount of 3 to 17% by weight.

18. The process of claim 15 , wherein the extrusion is carried out at an energy input of 12-28 Wh/kg.

19. The process of claim 15 , wherein the composition used for extrusion comprises:

a) a total protein content of 33 to 67% by weight;

b) a total fat content of 5 to 25% by weight;

c) a total starch content of at most 25% by weight.

20. The process of claim 19 , wherein the composition used for extrusion further comprises one or more of the following:

e) a PUFA content of 0.8 to 8% by weight;

f) an omega-3 fatty acid content of 0.8 to 8% by weight;

g) a DHA content of 0.1 to 4.0% by weight.

21. A method for farming animals comprising feeding said animals the PUFA-containing feedstuff of claim 1 .