08/05/2015: Highlights from BIOMIN Aqua Days 2015
More than 40 aquaculture industry members
from 14 countries participated in the 2015 Aqua Days held by BIOMIN from 13 to 15 April. The program consisted of conference
sessions on important topics affecting the aquaculture industry, an overview of
the R&D activities at BIOMIN along with on-site tours of the BIOMIN
Research Center in Tulln, Austria and the fish trial facilities at the
University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna.
Tuesday’s program began with an
introduction to BIOMIN by Herbert Kneissl, Division Marketing Officer at
BIOMIN. He highlighted the firm’s long history of academic partnership and
research in the field of mycotoxins and gut health performance. Dr. Dieter
Moll, Molecular Biology Research Team Leader, provided an overview of the
structure and organization of the BIOMIN Research Center, the main platform for
the firm’s R&D process.
Attendees then toured BIOMIN Research
Center which included visits to seven teams: analytical chemistry,
fermentation, molecular biology, cell culture, microbiology, formulation and
analytics. The afternoon featured a series of presentations on how mycotoxins
and pathogens threaten animal performance along with innovative, natural
strategies to mitigate their negative impacts.
Pedro Encarnação, Director Business
Development, presented results of studies highlighting negative impacts of
mycotoxins on aquaculture species. In general, cold water carnivorous species
tend to have higher sensitivities to mycotoxins than warm water omnivorous
ones. He highlighted that co-occurrence of mycotoxins is quite common. This
poses additional risk to animals since in many cases the combined (synergistic)
negative effects of two or more mycotoxins do more harm than each toxin alone.
The available studies on various aquaculture species point to a wide range of
harmful effects, including liver damage, impaired immune function, impaired
performance, reduced protein quality, shorter storage time and higher
mortality. While some of the impacts of mycotoxins on aquaculture species are
known, he highlighted the need for further research on the topic.
Verena Starkl, Mycotoxin Technical Manager,
pointed out that the inclusion of plant-derived matter in aqua feed introduces
the risk of mycotoxin exposure to aquaculture. She highlighted the high
toxicity of mycotoxins whose negative effects in animal can often be observed
at low concentrations, as measured in parts per billion. Sharing the results of
the latest BIOMIN Mycotoxin Survey, which reports on the occurrence of 6 major
mycotoxins in agricultural commodities commonly used in feed, she revealed that
95% of finished fish feed samples tested positive for one or more mycotoxins.
Turning to mitigation strategies, she explained how a successful mycotoxin risk
management strategy relies upon different modes of action. Adsorption, or binding,
can effectively combat aflatoxins, for example, while other mycotoxins cannot
be adsorbed or absorption is considerably less effective. Mycotoxin
detoxification through biotransformation uses enzymes to convert harmful
mycotoxins into safe, non-toxic metabolites. Finally, bioprotection uses
natural ingredients to support the liver and immune system function. The
Mycofix® product line relies upon all three modes of action to deliver the most
complete mycotoxin risk management available.
Prof. Loc Tran of Nong Lam University,
Vietnam, presented the latest research on early mortality syndrome (EMS) in
shrimp. Having identified the particular strain of Vibro bacteria responsible
for the disease, there is currently no cure for the pathogen causes massive die-offs
in shrimp ponds. While there is no single solution to EMS, some probiotic and
phytogenic substances have reduced pathogen growth, quorum quenching and lower
mortality rates. He recommended greater attention to biosecurity and
improvements to broodstock procedures, reduced stocking density for ponds
afflicted with EMS and a move to sustainable aquaculture.
Attila
Kovács, Product Manager Acidifiers, addressed how to reduce the bacterial
challenge in aquaculture using natural substances. Non-therapeutic use of
antibiotics in livestock has prompted concerns about the threat of
antibiotic-resistant superbugs that could threaten human health. The
combination of acidifiers and phytogenic feed additives has shown enhanced
effectiveness in combatting pathogens and supporting animal performance.
Consisting of natural ingredients, separate in vivo trials involving shrimp and
rainbow trout have demonstrated the beneficial effects of Biotronic® Top3 on
pathogen control, feed hygiene and growth performance.
Rui Gonçalves, Technical Manager
Aquaculture, emphasized the wide dispersion of academic research regarding
yeast as an immunostimulant in aquaculture. Studies focus on various modes of
action of single, combined or whole cell yeasts that, given their different
scopes, are not easily compared. Furthermore, academic studies often address
immune system function but fall short when it comes to examining effects on
growth rates and final body weight. This oversight means that many yeast
additives available involve an unnecessary trade-off between immune stimulation
and animal performance. Consequently, caution is warranted in the selection of
yeast additives that deliver both immune and performance benefits, such as
Levabon® Aquagrow E.
Wednesday’s program began with an on-campus
welcome from Prof. Mansour El- Matbouli of the University of Veterinary
Medicine in Vienna. Benedict Standen of Plymouth University in the UK showed
how probiotics can modulate the gastrointestinal tract and presented the
advantages of multi-species probiotics. He presented recent trial results
showing performance improvement in tilapia using Aquastar® Growout and
discussed several possible mechanisms for the positive outcome.
Barbara Weber, Scientist in Microbiology Research, explained the
development of probiotics for aquaculture for both pond and feed application.
She identified three ways that probiotics combat pathogens, namely: through
antimicrobial activity that inhibits pathogen growth, through competitive
exclusion that denies pathogens nutrients needed for survival and growth, and
quorum quenching that cuts the communication signals among bacteria thus
significantly reducing virulence and hence harm to animals.
Jutta Zwielehner, Product Manager
Microbials, discussed how the objectives and probiotic strains used for feed
and pond application differ. She outline
the use and demonstrated success of the four products in the AquaStar® product
line. Feed application aims to improve the intestinal microbial balance while
water application promotes bioremediation that alters the microbial community
in the rearing environment, degrades organic waste products and eliminates
toxic substances and organic odors. Through numerous examples she showed how
AquaStar® probiotics are efficient tools in pond management.
Trends in feed formulation and feed
technology will center on meeting nutritional demands in the face of resource
scarcity, according to Jorge Dias of SPAROS Lda. FAOStat projections indicate
that farm-raised seafood will account for 62 percent of global consumption by 2030. He
outlined the costs and challenges of producing high quality, healthy and safe
food in an environmentally-sound manner. He highlighted several emerging
ingredients in aqua feeds and related potential challenges.
Octavio Castro, Technical Manager
Aquaculture, explained the use of phytogenic substances in addressing more
efficient use of raw materials, supporting animal health and mitigating
environmental impacts. He highlighted a recent trend in the reduction in use of
premium materials such as fish meal and fish oil in feeds. He presented study
results showing how phytogenics improve gut microflora, increase feed
efficiency and adjust digestive secretion that results in better feed
efficiency, fewer immunological challenges and lower environmental impact.
Following the conference sessions, attendees took a guided tour of the fish
trial facilities of the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna.
See the Aqua Days 2015 picture gallery HERE.
Visit the BIOMIN aquaculture site HERE.
The Aquaculturists
This blog is maintained by The Aquaculturists staff and is supported by the
magazine International Aquafeed which is published by Perendale Publishers Ltd
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