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Natural feed additive improves health conditions in the aquaculture business Juan M. Alfaro, Felipe Almendras, Enrique Guillamón, Alberto Baños, DOMCA SAU, Greenvolution, DMC Research Center
Aquaculture has recently become one of the fastest-growing segments of the livestock industry in response to the decline in the number of animals caught by traditional fishing. However, while this sector continues to prosper and grow, fish farmers and feed manufacturers today face complex challenges in aquaculture. The intensive culture of fish generates a stressful physiological environment leading to the suppression of the immune system and susceptibility to infectious diseases. Moreover, the presence of xenobiotics in aquatic environments has been considered an inducer of different diseases and undesirable effects in aquatic life. Diseases are now a primary constraint to the culture of many fish species, impeding both economic and social development in many countries. For decades, chemotherapeutic agents, such as antibiotics, antiparasitics and disinfectants were
used to prevent and control fish diseases. However, today consumers demand farmed fish raised under welfare conditions and have increasingly stressed high food quality and safety standards in the absence of concomitant pollutants, antibiotics and carcinogens. Traditional use of antibiotics and other chemotherapeutics in fish culture has been criticized because of their potential development of antibioticresistant bacteria, environmental pollution and the accumulation of residues in fish tissues.
Feed additives as substitutes of antibiotics Since the European Union ratified a ban in 2006 on the use of all subtherapeutic antibiotics (Regulation 1831⁄2003⁄EC), scientists and industry have intensified efforts to identify and develop safe dietary supplements and feed additives that enhance the health and immune system of farmed fish. In this
Aquafeed: Advances in Processing & Formulation Vol 12 Issue 2 2020
