BioMar is ready with feed to combat deformities in fish larvae and fry

BioMar announces the eminent launch of the first feed range with a probiotic bacteria approved for use in all fish species in the European Union. The most significant benefit of the new LARVIVA products with probiotics will be a reduction in the occurrence of deformities in fish larvae and fry.
Just a few days after the European Food Safety Authority published the approval of the use of the probiotic bacteria strain Pediococcus acidilactici MA18/5M in feed for all fish species, the fish feed supplier BioMar is now ready with a new product range, LARVIVA Pro, which will include this revolutionary innovation.

“The effect of this probiotic strain on deformities in fish larvae and fry is now well- documented, and we are very pleased to be the first, who can launch a feed, which will have such a big impact on the production economy in the hatcheries”, says Michel Autin, Technical Director from BioMar.

LARVIVA ProStart is the first feed in the new product range. It is an agglomerated early weaning diet, which can partly substitute artemia, but equally important it has proved to be the most efficient way to deliver the probiotic bacteria to the gut of the fish. In the fish gut the probiotic bacteria has a beneficial impact stabilising the gut flora and it prevents the development of an inflammation, which has been identified as the cause of the costly spinal deformities. At the same time the presence of the probiotic bacteria improves mineral uptake in the early life stages and the final result is a higher share of well conformed fish.

Michel Autin (left), Technical Director for BioMar West Med with Mathieu Castex, Product Manager at Lallemand SAS presented the results of the research leading to the approval of Bactocell at the AQUA 2012 in Prague

P.acidilactici MA18/5M, which is also known under the commercial name Bactocell®, is not unknown to hatcheries across the world. Many hatcheries have actually used the same bacterial strain in the rearing water in the production of rotifers and artemia, primarily to stabilise the culture. However, when applied in this way only a minor amount of the beneficial bacteria seems to end in the fish gut. With LARVIVA ProStart it is easier to secure that the larvae receives a sufficient amount of the probiotic bacteria.

“Part of the research work which led to the favourable EFSA-opinion for P. Acidilactici MA18/5M was done using trial versions of the new LARVIVA products with probiotics. We have in these trials obtained an excellent documentation for the performance and especially we have very good results regards to the effect of the feed on the occurrence of deformities in fish larvae and fry”, says Michel Autin. He explains that depending on the general rearing conditions and the protocol used, the reduction in deformities has been up to 50 %.

For those farmers who already have a relatively low occurrence of deformities this might actually mean that they can drop the labour consuming and costly hand sorting of the fry – and for all hatcheries it will mean a reduction in the share of discarded fish and therefore an improved production economy. On top this Michel Autin mentions improved fish welfare as a side benefit, which of course is difficult to quantify in economic terms, but nevertheless contributes to a more sustainable aquaculture production.

Michel Autin explains that in order to get the full benefit from the inclusion of probiotic bacteria on deformities, it is important to start from first feeding with a feed with probiotics and to continue throughout the initial growth stages. BioMar is now able to propose a full feed programme with probiotics for hatcheries including in addition to LARVIVA ProStart, the weaning diet, LARVIVA ProWean, and the classic INICIO Plus fry feed. A version of INICIO Plus with probiotics has actually been sold with great success since 2009, but so far that feed was only approved for use in salmon and trout – now BioMar will make it available to all customers.

BioMar expects the addition of probiotics and the improved recipes of the early weaning and weaning diets will become an immediate success as the market demand is there. “We are in the fantastic situation that our production capacity for the LARVIVA ProStart range for the coming months is almost fully booked with pre-orders from customers, who have participated in the trial activities. They have quickly realised that the saving potential is tremendous”, says Michel Autin. BioMar estimates that the lost income and production losses related to deformities to be at least 20 mio EUR per year alone in the Mediterranean area.

In a final comment Michel Autin notes that the scientific evaluation from the EFSA’s panel validated the efficacy of P. acidilactici MA18/5M for all fish species. This means that the effect is evaluated to be generic across fish species. “We have together with the producer of Bactocell, Lallemand SAS, customers, and research centres tested it with Mediterranean fish species, but the results fit perfectly with the results obtained in trout and salmon as well as trials with tilapia, so this is really a breakthrough innovation not only for European fish farming.”

While the P. acidilactici MA18/5M is approved for its documented effect on deformities several research projects continue to investigate other benefits of the use of probiotics in fish feed including a possible effect on the immune response. 
 
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