Feed Technology
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Diving into palatability enhancers Lessons learnt from European marine fish species to speed up innovation in Asian seabass By Paul Seguin, Vincent Fournier and Mikael Herault
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quaculture is in a continual state of improvement today. Focus has been directed on new methods and technologies, such as genetic selection, feed formulation, and water quality management in order to drive higher rates of production per unit area while decreasing the impacts on the environment. This endeavour for improvement is critical, because intensification in aquaculture technology will continue in the decades ahead. In a November/December 2020 edition of Aqua Culture Asia Pacific magazine, we presented the “New generation of feed palatability enhancers designed for carnivorous fish species.” This innovative and formulated palatability enhancer (PE) called Extrapal has demonstrated its success with European feed manufacturers for Atlantic salmon, European seabass and gilthead seabream feeds. Supporting more sustainable feed formulations, Diana Aqua keeps investing and innovating into its range of palatability enhancers while ensuring stable, reliable and environment friendly products. This second article on the PE concept aims to present the results of research performed in 2021 with the Asian seabass Lates calcarifer.
A simple reminder on PE concepts
A PE formulated by Diana Aqua consists of a stateof-the-art proprietary hydrolysate rich in free amino acids and specific peptides combined to selected ingredients. The optimum effect of the PE is observed in carnivorous species when it is applied as top coating (1-2%) and during stressful events such as fish grading, feeds containing low level of marine protein, changes in feed formulation, transfer from nursery to sea cages, wintering, exposure to predation etc. The utilisation of PE will result in better growth rates over the whole cycle, with less incidences of reduced growth linked to stressful events which adversely impact on feeding behaviour (Figure 1). Extrapal, was launched in 2020 in Europe, targeting the grower feed segments for carnivorous fish. The PE is sprayed onto extruded feed pellets at up to 2%, allowing a quick release of palatable compounds into the water that will stimulate fish to feed. At this low PE dosage, its inclusion cost is undeniably more competitive than the use of any other dry product form commonly used for the same purpose to achieve equal performance.
Stressful event
Stressful event
Figure 1. (Left) Modeling of a fish growth curve with and without the application of a palatability enhancer (PE). Right: PE is sprayed up to 2% on extruded feed pellets, allowing a quick release of palatable compounds in the water that will stimulate feeding.
November/December 2021 AQUA Culture Asia Pacific
