Pancosma's Feed additive Solutions for aquaculture. Enhancing performance and improving resistance to environmental or pathogenic stresses

The developing market for aquaculture today represents a rising share of the global feed market, accounting for 5% in volume and 10% in value of total feed production. Farm-raised fish contribute to 50% of all sea food consumed around the world, and this number is expected to increase to more than 60% by 2030. With the mounting need for appropriate and high performing solutions for use in aquaculture farms, there has been a significant rise in the demand for compound feed to raise farmed aquatic species, and in particular for sophisticated and well-formulated products. Accordingly, feed additives have the potential to add greater nutritional value to aquaculture feed, and provide the benefits of advanced technology.

To satisfy this crucial need in the industry, Pancosma & Associates, the Switzerland-based global leader in feed additives for livestock, has recently introduced innovative tools and products targeted for aquaculture nutrition. With years of experience as a pioneer in the field of phytonutrients, including a 100% plant extract-based product that has received zootechnical approval for use in broilers, Pancosma & Associates has developed two original feed additives for aquaculture: XTRACT®Fish and XTRACT®Shrimp. These products consist of standardized micro-encapsulated particles, containing carefully selected combinations of bioactive substances found naturally in aromatic plants and spices, which function to enhance health and performance.

These promising solutions have the potential to boost the nutritional status of aquatic species and improve their natural defence systems to withstand external challenges, without the need for antibiotics in feed, and consequently limit major economic losses faced caused by commonly occurring pathogens in aquaculture farms. Created using advanced manufacturing processes, these additives go one step further to overcome the loss of product efficacy resulting from harsh feed production methods, which hampers productivity in farms.  XTRACT®Shrimp and XTRACT®Fish are made in a manner which allows them to be mixed with fish oil and top coated, or added directly to feed prior to the harsh extrusion or pelleting conditions, which the additives have been proven to resist.

In the studies, the health and immune enhancing properties of XTRACT®Fish and XTRACT®Shrimp were evaluated in the Pacific white shrimp and Nile tilapia, under two different situations: optimal conditions and in response to external challenges.