24 FEED SOLUTIONS
ActiBeet® natural betaine for growth and robustness in whiteleg shrimp
F
irst discovered in sugar beet juice, natural betaine occurs in plants, animals, marine invertebrates, and microorganisms, mainly to cope with salt and temperature stress. As a multifunctional nutrient supporting important metabolic functions, it has long been used in the animal nutrition space as a methionine- and choline-sparing tool, but it is increasingly being recognized
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for other benefits, for multispecies applications including aquaculture. Betaine is traditionally used in the farmed fish feed as an osmolyte, to protect the fish when moving from low to high salinity. Scientific evidence shows that natural betaine could be effective to improve growth performance and immunity in shrimps and this would support the sustainability of the shrimp industry further.
As the shrimp production is globally an increasing sector, we recently tested our natural betaine product also in shrimp, more exactly in whiteleg shrimp (Penaeus vannamei). Two subsequent feeding studies with whiteleg shrimp were initiated by Dr. Wolfgang Koppe with astonishing results. One trial was performed in Iceland and the second one in Thailand. In both trials Actibeet ® increased the growth
JULY-SEPTEMBER 2021
