ISSUE FOCUS FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE January 2023 29 BUTYRATE Butyrate, also known as butyric acid, is a shortchain fatty acid that has been shown to have several benefits in the diets of fish and shrimp. It has been found to improve the growth and health of animals. One of the main benefits of butyrate in aquafeed is its ability to improve gut health. Butyrate has been shown to enhance the integrity of the gut epithelium, the layer of cells lining the gut. This can help to prevent the entry of harmful bacteria and toxins into the body of fish and shrimp and can improve overall digestive health. In addition to its effects on gut health, butyrate has also been shown to improve immune functioning of animals. This can help to protect the animals from diseases and infections and can improve overall survival rate. Butyrate has also been found to have anti-inflammatory effects, helping to reduce the damage caused by infections and other stressors. An example of increased survival rate after addition of butyrate to the diet can be seen in a trial with black tiger shrimp. This trial compared the efficacy of different organic acids in 5 diets; a control without any organic acid added, BUT with 10 g/ kg butyrate addition, SUC with 10 g/kg succinate addition, FUM with 10 g/kg fumarate addition and ALL with all three organic acids at 10 g/kg each (total organic acids addition of 30 g/kg of feed). After a feeding trial of 42 days, it could be observed that the overall survival was significantly highest in the shrimp fed butyrate (Figure 3). Furthermore, butyrate has also been shown to improve the growth and development of animals. Butyrate can increase the absorption of nutrients from the diet and can enhance the utilization of energy from the feed. This can lead to improved growth rates and overall productivity of fish and shrimp. In the same trial as discussed in the section above, it could be observed that the use of butyrate significantly improved weight gain compared to the other organic acids and the control diet. Overall, the inclusion of butyrate in the diet of fish and shrimp can provide a wide range of benefits, such as improved gut health, enhanced immune function, and improved growth and development. Figure 2. Immune status of shrimp fed the garlic-cinnamon blend at different levels after Vibrio challenge Figure 3. Survival of black tiger shrimp fed a control diet without organic acids or butyrate, succinate, fumarate or combination of the products.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTUxNjkxNQ==