Frequently asked questions about freeze dried worms
Are your worms disease free?
Yes, Australia has very few if any diseases that are transmitted from water to fish and the area that I live and grow worms in is away from farming and industrial areas. The water that the worms are grown in, up to a short time ago, came from the same water supply that we got our drinking water from.
Is the protein content the same for live worms and freeze dried worms?
Yes, the only difference between the two is the water content of the live worms
What is the nutritional facts of your worms?
These results were taken from Australian Black Worms (freeze dried type) sent to Analytico, a commercial lab based in the Netherlands.
|
Compound |
Amount |
Unit |
Material |
|
Lipid |
7.22 |
% |
FD worms |
|
Ashes |
5.91 |
% |
FD worms |
|
Protein |
59.3 |
% |
FD worms |
|
Moisture |
7.34 |
% |
FD worms |
|
Carbohydrates (calculated) |
20.2 |
% |
FD worms |
|
EPA |
4.53 |
% of total fatty acids |
FD worms |
|
DHA |
1.79 |
% of total fatty acids |
FD worms |
|
monounsaturated fatty acids |
20.9 |
% of total fatty acids |
FD worms |
|
polyunsaturated fatty acids |
28 |
% of total fatty acids |
FD worms |
|
omega 3 fatty acids |
8.13 |
% of total fatty acids |
FD worms |
|
omega 6 fatty acids |
18.3 |
% of total fatty acids |
FD worms |
|
energetic value |
1630 |
kJ/100 g |
FD worms |
|
energetic value |
387 |
kcal/100 g |
FD worms |
The following results were done at “Riverina Laboratories” Albury, NSW, Australia
Crude Protein % as received..........................................................................54.52
Crude Fat % as received.................................................................................11.40
Crude Fibre% as received................................................................................0.20
Moisture % as received...................................................................................17.83
Solids % as received.........................................................................................82.17
Crude Protein % dry weight basis....................................................................66.35
Crude Fat % dry weight basis...........................................................................13.87
Crude Fibre % dry weight basis........................................................................0.24
How do you freeze dry your worms?
The worms go through the same cleaning and purging procedure as if they were going to be fed live. They are then frozen in 2.5 kg blocks and loaded into the Cuddens freeze drier. A vacuum pump takes all the air out of the chamber and then raises the temperature from minus 20deg C to 50deg C . Water will boil at 0 deg C in a vacuum, so as the frozen worms start to thaw, all moisture turns to a vapour that is then refrozen on coils inside the chamber. The process is a little bit more complicated then that, but that is the basis of how it is done. The important thing about the freeze drying process is that it will remove all the moisture from the worms without altering the nutritional facts of the product. The whole process of growing, cleaning and processing the worms is done at the one location insuring the best possible product.
My fish won’t feed from the top, how do I get them to eat the freeze dried worms?
With the cubes, press one against the inside of the tank half way down. It should stick against the side and the fish will then show more interest in it. Once your fish get used to freeze dried worms, they usually will take them from the surface.
Should I reconstitute freeze dried worms before feeding them to my fish?
No, just put the worms straight into the water and let your fish feast on them.
Will the worms swell up in the stomach of fish
No, they will take water back in but will not increase in size.