ARTICLE 66 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE August 2023 Aquaculture is a rapidly growing sector in animal food production, meets half of the global seafood demand. The high cost of fish meal, contributes significantly to production costs. Fluctuating availability of fish meal due to declining marine fish production has made aquaculture essential for supplying marine protein. To address this, there is a growing demand for animal or plant protein sources in fish feed formulation. Attempts to replace fish meal have been challenging due to its unique growth factors and superior attractiveness compared to local protein ingredients. Although local ingredients offer high digestibility and favorable amino acid profiles, the taste and attractiveness of fish meal stimulate the consumption of less appealing balanced feed. Palatability plays a vital role in fish feed formulation with local ingredients, as unpalatable feed can result in waste, poor growth, satiation, and reduced consumption. Enhancing feed palatability with additives becomes crucial. FEED ADDITIVES TO IMPROVE PALATABILITY Feed additives are substances that are added in Aquaculture relies on costly fish meal for protein, but declining resources necessitate changes. Increasing feed intake enhances growth. Feed palatability is crucial in designing diets to enhance consumption. Adequate feed stimulants are necessary to attract fish to the feed. Exogenous feed additives, including amino acids, betaine, amines, sugars, and nucleotides, have shown potential in stimulating feeding responses, particularly in plant-based or fish meal-free diets. This highlights their practical significance in fish nutrition by enhancing palatability and promoting feeding. TASTE MATTERS: UNRAVELING THE SIGNIFICANCE OF FEED ADDITIVES IN ENHANCING FEED PALATABILITY Amit Ranjan Assistant Professor Department of Fish Nutrition and Feed Technology, TNJFU- Institute of Fisheries Post Graduate Studies, Chennai, India Kalaiselvan Pandi Research Scholar Department of Fish Nutrition and Feed Technology, TNJFU- Institute of Fisheries Post Graduate Studies, Chennai, India
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