November | December 2009

Feature title: Screening for cost-efficiency

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The International magazine for the aquaculture feed industry

 Enhancers
Table 1: Dose-response effect for a digestive aid in Nile tilapia (trial duration: 8 weeks;
average (n=3) ± stdev, different letters in the same row denote significant differences at
p≤0.05; Ceulemans et al., 2009).

(trial duration 64 days; starting

from 19g); Nile tilapia (56 days;
starting from 9g); Pangasius catfish
(70 days starting from 16g); and

Screening for
European seabass (84 days; starting
from 224g).

ing habits, marine/freshwater habitats, cold/ revealed enormous differences in efficacy Dose-reponse
tropical climates, and extremely different among different additive concepts designed trial with Tilapia
feed formulations. to improve digestion (see Figure 1). Dose-response trials under laboratory

cost-efficiency:
At the NUTRIAD Technology Center,
a continuous program of empiric screen-
ing for different aquaculture species aims
at identifying promising compounds for
application in aquaculture.
Pre-selected synergistic blends of
digestibility enhancing additives are being
screened for their capability to improve
Application of novel digestibility enhancers to growth and food conversion in a number of
improve performance and filleting yield in fish
Some digestibility enhancers seem to be
incompatible with the digestive physiology of
certain fish species and affected fish perform-
ance negatively. The addition of selected
blends of digestive aids improved growth/
FCR in trout (up to +6/-8 percent change
versus non-supplemented control group),
tilapia (+5/-9%), pangasius catfish (+6/-15
percent), and
seabass (+5/-5
percent).
T h e s e
conditions provide useful data to explore
the most cost-efficient dosage to be recom-
mended for field verification.
The supplementation of 1.5kg per tonne
of feed of a digestive aid (AQUAGEST®
OMF) yielded significantly better FCR (-5
percent), growth (+4 percent) and protein
efficiency ratio (+4 percent; see Table 1).

Some innovative additives show great potential for use in aquaculture, but their application is not evident as
results
the
show
potential
Marine phospholipids
warm blooded land animals have a different feeding biology, digestive physiology and nutrient requirements
compared to fish and shrimp. The development of aquaculture additives is a relatively new but promising of digestibility
field. enhancers to A new generation of omega-3 lipids
improve feed with a broader spectrum of health
efficiency in fish
farming, result-
benefits.
ing in improved
by Peter Coutteau1, Sam Ceulemans1, Alexander van Halteren1, rocio robles2, and Ahmad Hadadi3
economics,
- High DHA contents, preferably in
(1) NUTrIAD Technology Center, Belgium more sustain- easily digestible and highly bio
(2) Caditec Testing SL, Puerto real (Cadiz), Spain able use of feed available form for aquaculture use.
(3) Department of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Sukabumi, Indonesia ingredients
and reduced - Numerous benefits on improving
environmental the immune response, better

S
ignificant price increases
have occurred during
the past years for major
aquafeed ingredients, includ-
ing fishmeal, fish oil, vegetable proteins
and fats. In the livestock industry
the combined efforts of industry and
academic institutes resulted in the
development of a wide range of addi-
tives to improve nutrient utilisation
helping to reduce feed formulation
costs and increase cost-efficiency.
Various types of feed additives have been
developed which enhance the digestibil-
ity and/or utilisation efficiency of nutrients, progress with the development of species- impact. weight gain and physical
including exogenous enzymes, compounds specific digestive aids to increase growth, Data show conditions of land animals.
aiding in the digestive process, stimulators feed utilisation and meat yield in various results for
of enzyme secretion, feeding stimulants, pre/ fish species. model species (rainbow trout Oncorhynchus growth (SGR,
probiotics and botanical extracts modulat- mykiss; European seabass Dicentrarchus percent/day) and
ing the gut microflora. Screening for optimal labrax; Nile tilapia Oreochromus niloticus; food conversion
Some of these innovative additives show performance and Tra catfish Pangasius hypophthalmus). Test (FCR) relative
great potential for use in aquaculture, but cost-efficiency feeds are formulated to be representative to the perform-
their application is not evident as warm A wide variety of concepts and products for average industry standards per species ance of the non-
blooded land animals have a different feed- are being investigated for improving diges- and processed using industrial extrusion supplemented
ing biology, digestive physiology and nutri- tion and feed utilisation in pigs and poultry. technology. control group. Fiskerihavnsgade 35 Phone +45 79120999
ent requirements compared to fish and However, it is difficult to predict the Trials executed under controlled lab Feeding trials P.O. Box 359 Fax +45 79120888
shrimp. The development of aquaculture functionality of many of these products conditions at Caditec Testing, Spain, and were run in trip- 6701 Esbjerg E-mail 999@999.dk
additives is a relatively new but promising for a wide range of fish species, covering at the Department of Marine Affairs licate tanks for Denmark Web www.999.dk
field. In this article we report on our recent carnivorous/omnivorous/herbivorous feed- and Fisheries, Sukabumi, Indonesia, have rainbow trout

36 | InternatIonal AquAFeed | november-December 09 november-December 09 | InternatIonal AquAFeed | 37

999_AD_IAF0904V3.indd 1 22/06/2009 14:01
Enhancers
Figure 1
When increasing the supplementation
from 1.5kg to three kg per tonne of feed,
all these factors were further improved.
The hepatosomatic index was reduced by
increasing the level of the feed additive,
amounting to a reduction of 11 percent
for the 3kg/tonne-supplemented diet. The
viscerasomatic index was reduced by eight
percent in the 1.5kg/tonne-supplemented
diet. The decreased viscerasomatic and
hepatosomatic indexes and increased pro-
tein efficiency ratio indicate that more
dietary energy/protein is made available
for growth.
This allows the farmer to improve feed
conversion, fillet yield and reducing visceral
wastes.
38 | InternatIonal AquAFeed | november-December 09
Enhancers
Feed utilisation and for FCR and individual daily
fillet yield in Pangasius growth rate were excellent
catfish farming compared to the industry
Pangasius catfish production has grown average in Vietnam (FCR:
very rapidly in Vietnam to reach more than 1.6-1.8; growth: 4-5 g/day).
a million tonnes in recent years. The results from both
This rapid growth has resulted in the trial locations showed
industrialisation of feed production as well improved growth and food
as in culture technology. Whereas tradition- conversion, and a short-
al catfish farmers produce farm-made feeds ening of the production
by mixing and cooking local raw materials cycle with the application
in large kettle cookers, larger integrators of the feed additive. The
have installed state-of-the-art extrusion improvement on growth
lines producing compound feed following performance was modest
stringent quality control schemes.
Due to declining market
prices for Pangasius, farmers and
feed producers are continuously
searching for ways to improve
feed performance and optimise
fillet yield to maintain profitability.
The optimal application of
novel feed additives requires field
evaluations to provide information
in terms of farm economics and
processing qualities of the fish.
The effect of different appli-
cation regimes for a digestibil-
ity enhancer was evaluated for
Pangasius hypophthalmus (‘Tra’) in
two farm locations of Hung Vuong
Mien Tay breeding Joint Stock our mission is crystal clear
Company in the Mekong Delta
(Van Halteren et al., 2009). The
various treatments differed in the
inclusion level of the digestibility
enhancer (AQUAGEST® OMF,
Nutriad, Belgium) in the extruded
feed and the period during which
it was applied during the produc-
INVE Nutri-ad is now Nutriad.
tion cycle (see Table 2). While we do look a little different on the outside, we are still the same global company dedicated to bringing you
Trials were carried out under natural and sustainable aqua solutions that add value through health and nutrition. At Nutriad, a multidisciplinary
Table 2: Two different application regimes evaluated for supplementing a digestive aid to the feed standard production protocols team of nutritionists, biologists, veterinarians and feed technologists focus on the specific development and
of Pangasius catfish in two farm locations of Hung Vuong Mien Tay breeding Joint Stock Company in earthen ponds of approxi-
optimal application of feed additives for various aquaculture species. Our scientists make use of state-of-the art
in the Mekong Delta (van Halteren et al., 2009)
mately 5-6000m2 (Trial site Tra equipment and facilities including the central analytical laboratory, a pilot plant for the production of aqua feed
Vinh) and 8500-12,000 m2 (trial and aquaculture test centres to screen product options in various fish and shrimp species.
Feed
Fish size specifications Treatments site Sa Dec). The ponds were
Developed for aquaculture species and supported by aquafeed experts
(g) (% crude stocked with juveniles with an
AQUAGEST® Digestibility enhancers
protein) Control AQUAGEST 1 AQUAGEST 2 average size of 15g at a density of AQUABITE® Attractants & Palatability Enhancers
45-50fish/m2 in Tra Vinh, and 30g AQUASTIM® Immunomodulators
fish were stocked at 34-38 fish/ SANACORE® Multi-angle defense complex to reduce stress/disease incidence in fish & shrimp
AQUAGEST® OMF AQUAGEST® OMF
20 - 100 28 -
1 kg/MT of feed 2 kg/MT of feed m2 in Sa Dec. AQUAVIT C Stable Protected Vitamin C for immune function maintenance
APEX® Aqua Standardized and stabilized natural bio-active ingredients
AQUAGEST® OMF AQUAGEST® OMF Gain for the farmer: NUTRI-BIND Low inclusion binders with proven efficacy in aquafeed production
100 - 200 28 -
1 kg/MT of feed 2 kg/MT of feed
growth, feed
200 - 500 26 - -
AQUAGEST® OMF conversion and applying nature for a healthy and sustainable future
1 kg/MT of feed production cost
Overall, the results obtained www.nutriad.net
> 500 22 - - -
november-December 09 | InternatIonal AquAFeed | 39
Enhancers
for the lowest dosage applied only during
the initial period (treatment Aquagest 1).
However, very significant improvements
were obtained for the second treatment
(Aquagest 2) compared to the control,
including improvements of FCR by 3.3-3.2
percent, daily weight gain by 10.6-14.8 per-
cent and a reduction of the culture duration
by 5.2-16.4 percent. All farm results showed
in three stages, first the total fillet is
cut from the fish, secondly the skin is
removed from the fillet and finally the
fillet is adjusted to the market demands
(less or more fat left depending on the
destination country.
The first stage ‘whole fillet’ ratio is aver-
ages 1.9-2.2 in Vietnam and is reported for
the trials in Table 4. Overall, the whole fillet
yields obtained in the current trials were
excellent in comparison to the industrial
average in Vietnam (1.9-2.2).
Nevertheless, whole fillet yield improved
drastically in all trials because of the addi-
better economics due to the application of tion of the digestibility enhancer, that is
the digestibility enhancer. This was due to a 2.4 to 4.6 percent for the lowest application
combination of the improved feed cost per and 7.5-9.25 percent for the highest dosage
kg of fish produced (0.2-0.7 percent for the evaluated (see Table 4).
lowest appli-
cation regime
and 1.4-2.4
percent for
the highest

Table 3: Effect of two different application regimes of a digestibility

enhancer on duration of the production cycle, growth and FCR of
Pangasius catfish in two trial locations in Vietnam (van Halteren et al.,
2009)

Days of culture Individual fish

Treatments
to reach 850g growth rate FCR
(see Table 2)
(days) (g/day)
TRIAL SITE 1: Tra Vinh
Control 210 3.96 1.52
Aquagest 1 207 4.04 1.51
Aquagest 2 199 4.38 1.47

Days of culture Individual fish

Treatments application regime) and Conclusion
to reach 850g growth rate FCR
(see Table 2) the significant shortening
(days) (g/day) Digestibility enhancing additives have

Swivel Valve Cooler MkII

TRIAL SITE 2: Sa Dec of the production cycle. the potential to improve nutrient utilisa-
Control 171 4.53 1.55 tion from cheap ingredients and stimulate
Gain for the the conversion of nutrients into meat gain
Aquagest 1 171 4.40 1.53 fish processor and less into fat accumulation in muscle
Aquagest 2 143 5.20 1.50 The fillet ratio is an
and viscera. The current results showed

Table 4: Effect of two different application regimes of a digestive aid on

important criterion
for the processor in
the Pangasius indus-
the need for specific product development
searching for digestive aids, which are
compatible with the digestive physiology
For highest food safety standards
fillet ratio (kg whole fish needed for 1kg of whole fish fillet) of Pangasius try as the main mar-
catfish in two trial locations in Vietnam (percentage shows difference
of each fish species.
ket is sales of fillet.
compared to non-supplemented control) (van Halteren et al., 2009) The fillet ratio was The optimised application in the field
determined in the was illustrated for Pangasius in Vietnam
Treatments TRIAL SITE 1: TRIAL SITE 2: where economic gains were observed
fish processing plant
(see Table 2) Tra Vinh Sa Dec both for the farmer (up to 2.4 percent
of Hung Vuong Joint
Stock Company reduction of feed cost per kg of whole fish
produced and 16.4 percent shortening of Geelen Counterflow Holland
Control 2.14 2.16 after harvesting the
the production cycle) as well as for the fish Geelen Counterflow USA
ponds.
Aquagest 1 2.09 (-2.4%) 2.06 (- 4.6%) Geelen Counterflow Argentina
Pangasius fil- processor (up to 9.25 percent improve-
Aquagest 2 1.98 (-7.5%) 2.00 (- 9.25%) ment in fillet yield).
Geelen Counterflow China
lets are obtained

info@geelencounterflow.com
40 | InternatIonal AquAFeed | november-December 09
www.geelencounterflow.com
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