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Biosurfactants: A new nutritional concept in aquaculture Carlos Rodriguez, Ă lvaro RodrĂguez, Ewa Sujka, Liptosa
Lipids are a group of natural organic compounds comprised of fats, oils, phospholipids and sterols. Dietary lipids are utilized in aquafeeds as a major source to spare protein. They also influence flavors and texture, are a highly digestible concentrated source of energy that supplies 8-9 Kcal/g and provide fatty acids needed for the proper functioning of many physiological processes (Nantes, 2015). Moreover, it is important to consider that fish oil is an expensive raw material in aquafeed production and nutritionists must optimize the inclusion and digestion of dietary lipids. Reduction of FISH IN : FISH OUT (FIFO) ratio using vegetable-sourced oil instead of fish oil is a current trend in the aquaculture industry to meet sustainable performance requirements. Therefore, boosting the digestion process is an important issue.
Emulsifiers to increase lipid digestibility Depending on the type of added oil, digestibility will vary. Unsaturated fats are much more digestible than saturated fats. Emulsifiers show more efficiency when the fatty acid profile of the added fat is more saturated, although they are also able to increase the digestibility
of the unsaturated fraction of vegetable oils, as in the case of soybean and rapeseed oils. In order to supply a product to cover the requirements and needs of lipid digestion, LIPTOSA has designed and manufactured Digest Fast, an outstanding biosurfactant made up of a combination of botanicals with emulsifying substances. The emulsifiers used in animal nutrition are aimed at increasing the digestibility of the feed added lipids that are also effective tools in the optimization of the formulation costs, as increased digestibility allows reduced inclusion of added oils. Emulsifiers increase the active surface of lipids, allowing a higher action of the lipases and favoring the formation of micelles. Its positive effect is more pronounced with lower digestibility of dietary lipids. Herbal extracts play an important role in the maintenance of good health of the liver and/or hepatopancreas. It is considered of big importance to avoid possible liver disorders such as hepatic steatosis, a process responsible for the loss of liver functionality. Lipid infiltration in hepatocytes during periods where fish are subjected to intensive feeding leads to the
Aquafeed: Advances in Processing & Formulation Vol 12 Issue 2 2020
