KRILL IMPROVES LARVAE SEABREAM SURVIVAL

Krill improves larvae seabream survival. According to a new study, by supplementing with seven percent of krill phospholipids in a seabream diet, larvae exhibited enhanced growth and survival, along with significantly less lipid (or fat) deposits in the intestine and liver, as compared to fish consuming the soybean lecithin diet.

“The high survival rates and greater growth in the larvae fed seven percent krill oil phospholipids shows that inclusion of krill in the feed ensures more of the important fatty acids are being absorbed and utilised by the fish. This is in line with previous research that shows that the phospholipid source is important, and krill oil phospholipids are consistently more effective in terms of health, growth and overall survival in fish,” said Reda Saleh Azam, Senior Scientist at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia.

Key study findings:

• The supplementation of dietary krill oil phospholipids “significantly improved” the larval survival and growth as compared to the larvae fed the soybean lecithin and control diets.
• The overall omega-3 fatty acid composition in the body was highest in the larvae fed 7% and 9% krill oil phospholipids.
• The larvae fed the soybean lecithin and control diets exhibited significantly higher presence of large vacuoles of lipid droplets in the liver and intestine, indicating poor utilization of the dietary lipids.
• The inclusion of just 7% krill oil phospholipids resulted in a significant decrease in intestinal and hepatic steatosis, leading to better larval performance in terms of survival and length.

Dr Reda Saleh, Senior Scientist at KAUST, Saudi Arabia, with researchers from the Institute of Aquaculture at Stirling University, Scotland, and Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain, led this study with the goal of analysing the effects of krill oil- and soybean lecithin-based microdiets on the intestine and liver in seabream larvae. The larvae received one of the five formulated test diets during the one-month experiment, after which they were evaluated for performance related to survival and growth rates.

“The researchers found that by including just seven percent krill oil phospholipids in the seabream diet, the larvae exhibited enhanced growth and survival, along with significantly less lipid (or fat) deposits in the intestine and liver, as compared to fish consuming the soybean lecithin diet,” said Andras Ziener, VP Business Development, Animal Health & Nutrition, Aker BioMarine.

Phospholipids are an important energy source for fish development

Both krill oil and soybean lecithin are dietary sources of phospholipids, which is an important source of energy in fish, particularly during embryonic and early larval development. Phospholipids possess a high content of omega-3 fatty acids that are easier to absorb and digest, in addition to its feed attractant properties that support better diet quality in fish. Previous studies have also show that phospholipids provide inositol and choline, which are important for increasing the absorption of nutrients.

About the experiment

The experimental diets used in the study contained increasing phospholipid contents (from seven to nine percent) derived from either krill phospholipids, provided by Aker BioMarine, or soybean lecithin. The diets were manually delivered to the fish 14 times per day over the course of one month. The larval sampling, to measure the effects of the five microdiets, was conducted on day 45 of the experiment.

About the study

The study, titled “Different phosphatidylcholine and n-3 HUFA contents in microdiets for gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) larvae: effects on histological changes in intestine and liver”, was authored Reda Saleh, Monica Betancor, Asaad Hassan Mohamed, Tamer El-Sayed Ali and Marisol Izquierdo. It was published in the Aquaculture International in its entirety, and it is available upon request.

About QRILL Aqua

QRILL Aqua’s key market differentiator is that it improves fish health and performance. In aqua diets, QRILL™ Aqua functions as a feeding stimulant leading to increased feed uptake and enhanced growth. QRILL™ Aqua improves growth performance, health, fillet quality and stress and disease resistance of fish. More information on www.qrillaqua.com.

About Aker BioMarine

Aker BioMarine is a biotech innovator and Antarctic krill-harvesting company, dedicated to improving human and planetary health. Listed on Oslo Stock Exchange, the company develops krill-based ingredients for pharmaceutical, nutraceutical (Superba®, NKO® and K·REAL®), aquaculture (QRILL™ Aqua), and animal feed applications (QRILL™ Pet), including INVI™, a highly concentrated protein isolate, and LYSOVETA™, a targeted transporter of EPA and DHA from krill. Aker BioMarine’s fully transparent value chain stretches from sustainable krill harvesting in pristine Antarctic waters through its Montevideo logistics hub, Houston production plant, and to customers around the world. The company’s strong focus on sustainability inspired the launch of AION by Aker BioMarine, a circularity company dedicated to helping companies to recycle and reuse waste. Read more: www.akerbiomarine.com