Acidifiers in aquafeed as an alternate growth promoter: A short review.

Abstract

Optimum nutrient is the key for accelerating the growth of fish and augmenting the production potential. Consumer preference for the antibiotic-free fish and fish products attracted the scientists to find out natural growht promoter. as an alternative antibiotic growht promoters in aquafeed. Dietary supplementation of organic acids and their salts as growth promoter has been pro in animal feed and well documented. Aquafeed sector has equally benefitted with this novel additive though it was lately introduced However, unlike animal feed the use of acidifier in aquafed needs a different approach due to diversified feeding habit and wide variation in structure of the digestive system and physiological function. Dietary organic acids can stimulate secretion of pancreatic enzymes. lower gastric pH, in hibit pathogens, act as a source of energy, improve mineral utilization and enhance nutrient digestibi which could lead to enhanced growth performance of fish. It is envisaged that intensive aquaculture will be the major focus in coming decades to supply the quality protein to the burgeoning population with the limited water, land and feed resources. As aquafeed sector has to depend more on plant based feed due to scarcity of fish meal. the gut health management is the most critical factor to be considered for sustainable aquaculture. Feeding of unconventional plant ingredients containing some anti-nutritional factor, adversely affect the gut microbiota of fish, in this context, feeding acidifier facilitate better nutrient digestion by restoring the microbial composition of gul. Now acidifier is commonly used in animal feed including aquafeed and some next generation acidifier has been introduced by many manufactures with added advantage. The present review describes the acidifiers, their mode of action, effec t on growth and immunity with future research scope