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See our current on-line version of International Aquafeed:

May - June 2013

International Aquafeed is now also available
as a Spanish language version

Features in this issue include:

• They are what they eat - Enhancing the nutritional value of live feeds with microalgae
• Controlling mycotoxins with binders
• Niacin: one of the key B vitamins for sustaining healthy fish growth and production
• Ultraviolet water disinfection for fish farms and hatcheries
• Natural sources of cholesterol, phospholipids and proteins
• Pelleting and extrusion in aquafeed technology
• An effective source of dietary methionine for the turbot Psetta maxima
• EXPERT TOPIC - SHRIMP

Editors desk

In this spring issue of International Aquafeed we highlight a growing interest in algae with a focus on its traditional use as a live food in hatchery technology, although much is being undertaken in laboratories throughout the world to develop suitable strains for use in compound feed as either a protein source or as sources of omega 3 fatty acids to boost the nutritional profile of fish and meet their stringent requirements for essential lipids and also to enhance the quality of fish towards harvest. Algae are the subject of much research and I hope to address this at a later date within a special article.

Last year I reported on the significance of work on mycotoxins in feeds and ingredients and their effects on production of fish especially under tropical conditions where moisture and heat can accentuate the risks associated with storage and spoilage of feed. We include an appropriate article from Olmix Asia Pacific on their products to combat these problems using natural material additives.

I do not escape making a contribution in this issue with a report on the role of the vitamin Niacin in fish nutrition and a key member of the B-class of water-soluble vitamins essential to all animals. Fish depend greatly on balanced feed additives such as vitamin and mineral premixes and we need to constantly revise our strategy for correct vitamin supplementation in the light of new scientific evidence. Niacin has a specific function in fish and is needed for health as well as production needs.

My Welsh grandmother Olwen would say that ‘cleanliness is next to godliness’ and the whole question of hygiene in all aspects of fish and crustacean husbandry throughout their complex life stages is of paramount concern and should be mandatory. Halim Mirza of Hanovia systems discusses the application of UV technology and its major advantages in water disinfection management for a variety of aquaculture operations.

Although we humans must watch our dietary and blood cholesterol levels, shrimp and prawns get off easy! It’s a vital component of their nutrition and so it’s interesting to read a feature from Sonac regarding this area and the role of their products from their interesting research and development activities to provide effective and natural cholesterol sources in aquafeeds for shrimp production and health.

The increasing changes in diet formulations and thresholds concerning limiting amino acids warrants the use of synthetic amino acid fortification of the diet in terms of essential amino acid balance within the protein matrix. Methionine is the most frequent ‘first limiting’ amino acid and we require data for all commercially important species when faced with fishmeal alternatives especially plant based ingredients. The Novus group report on turbot and the effect of methionine supplementation under specific test conditions in China where this fish is among several flounders being reared.

If you thought that isotopes meant ‘run for the lead shielding’, fear not! It is now common to use a whole suite of stable non-radioactive isotopes of common elements for research investigations in aquatic animal nutrition and feeding studies. Although very costly, they provide invaluable information on the dynamics of feed intake, body distribution and metabolism of various trace elements or other nutrients based on carbon, phosphorous and nitrogen ratios. We will see some fascinating aspects in the work from Mexico by Julián Gamboa-Delgado PhD, research officer, Programa Maricultura, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Mexico, involving application of isotopic techniques to assess the nutritional performance of macroalgae in feeding regimes for shrimp.

Pelleting and extrusion technology continues to advance and we report on new developments on the technical side of feed manufacture from a Chinese perspective.
Our regular news and technical reports together with Dominique Bureau’s excellent Aquaculture View column on page 6 of this issue makes for a great start to the spring.

Professor Simon Davies

To view the issue in full, please click here
 

International Aquafeed reflects a passion for aquafeed and excitement about new technology. Our objective is to be a respected provider of information about aquafeed in the widest sense.

Feed makes up around 70 percent of the cost of producing farmed fish. In each issue, we take an in-depth look at a wide range of technical issues associated with aquafeed production and use. We bring our readers global news about new technology and research, feed ingredients and micro-ingredients, market trends and all issues that impact on the aquafeed supply chain today and tomorrow.

We have a deep commitment to our readers and our advertisers. We believe in quality information and quality design, just as you believe in the quality of your products.

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