ISSUE FOCUS 58 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE March 2025 the effects of a positive control diet with conventional gut health additives, a negative control (NC) diet without feed additives, and a diet supplemented with 5.0 kg/ton of OceanFeed™ Swine (NC + OFS). The results from this trial demonstrated that the inclusion of OceanFeed™ Swine significantly improved feed efficiency and reduced the cost per kilogram of gain compared to the Negative Control group. These findings suggest that OceanFeed™ Swine can significantly improve piglet growth performance while lowering production costs. These benefits are further illustrated in Figure 2. To further explore its potential, a commercial onfarm trial was carried out to evaluate the impact of OceanFeed™ Aqua on the FCR and production costs of L. vannamei shrimp (white-leg shrimp). The trial took place in a 400 m² raceway over a 60-day period, divided into 4 pens of 100 m² each. Shrimp were fed a commercial corn-soybean meal-based diet with or without OceanFeed™ Aqua at inclusion rates of 0, 0.5, 1.0, or 2.0%, with feed dispensed every 15 minutes via an auto feeder, and quantities adjusted based on shrimp weight and remaining feed in the pond. As shown in Figure 3, results from the trial showed that supplementation with OceanFeed™ Aqua at a 1% inclusion rate resulted in a better FCR and demonstrated significant reductions in cost per kilogram of shrimp produced, proving to be economically beneficial for shrimp farming. SUMMARY In conclusion, seaweeds offer vast potential to improve feed efficiency and performance across various livestock and aquaculture species. The evidence shows that seaweeds, as a feed ingredient, not only promote animal health but also provide Figure 2. FCR and feed cost per kilogram of gain in piglets fed a Positive Control (PC) diet with conventional gut health additives, or a Negative Control (NC) with no gut health additives, or the NC with 5 kg/t OceanFeed™ Swine additive (NC + OFS 5 kg/t) from 0-28 days of age. FCR (g/g) Cost/kg shrimp produced ($) 1,94 1,07 0,86 1,36 6,19 3,51 2,9 4,43 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 0% 0,50% 1% 2% Figure 3. FCR and cost per kilogram of shrimp produced fed a control diet supplemented with increasing inclusion of OceanFeed™ Aqua from 0-60 days of age.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTUxNjkxNQ==