Effect of dietary formic acid and astaxanthin on the survival and growth of Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) and their resistance to Vibrio parahaemolyticus

Abstract

A 90-day feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of formic acid (FA) and astaxanthin (AX) on growth, survival, immune parameters, and tolerance to Vibrio infection in Pacific white shrimp. The study was divided into two experiments. In experiment 1, postlarvae-12 were randomly distributed into six groups and then fed four times daily with six experimental diets contained 0.3 % FA, 0.6 % FA, 50 ppm AX, 0.3 % FA + 50 ppm AX, 0.6 % FA + 50 ppm AX, or none of these supplements (control diet). After 60 days of the feeding trials, the body weight of all treatment groups was not significantly different from the control group, although shrimp fed formic acid had significantly lower body weight than shrimp fed 50 ppm AX. However, the 0.6 % FA + 50 ppm AX group had a significantly higher survival rate (82.33 ± 8.32 %) than the control group (64.33 ± 10.12 %). In experiment 2, Vibrio parahaemolyticus was added to each tank to obtain a final concentration of 104 colony-forming units/mL. Each treatment group received the aforementioned diets for another 30 days. At the end of this experiment, there was no difference in the weight gain among all experimental groups. However, the survival rate of shrimps whose diet included FA, AX, and their combination (in the range of 45.83–67.50 %) was significantly higher than the control group (20.00 ± 17.32 %). FA-fed shrimps also had significantly lower total intestinal bacteria and Vibrio spp. counts, while immune parameters [total hemocyte count (THC), phagocytosis activity, phenoloxidase (PO) activity, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity] of AX-fed groups were significantly improved compared with the other groups. In conclusion, FA, AX, and their combination are useful in shrimp aquaculture.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40064-015-1234-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

The utilization and mode of action of organic acids in the feeds of cultured aquatic animals

“…, ; Chuchird et al . ). Total viable bacterial and Vibrio counts in the hepatopancreas of marine shrimp were found to be lower when fed diets with 20 g kg −1 OAB compared to the control treatment without any organic acids (Ng et al .…”

“…It was reported that white shrimp fed diets with a combination of formic acid and astaxanthin was no better than using singly or in combination in terms of preventing V. parahemolyticus infections (Chuchird et al . ). Despite the contradictory reports to date on the synergistic effects of organic acids and other functional feed additives, recent trends indicate that organic acids manufacturers are combining organic acids with additives such as essential oils, enzymes and plant/herbal extracts for potentially stronger antimicrobial and health‐promoting effects on aquatic animals.…”

“…Chuchird et al . () reported that white shrimp cultured for 30 days in water containing V. parahaemolyticus collected from an EMS‐infected farm in Thailand showed lower gut Vibrio spp. and total bacteria counts in shrimp fed 3 or 6 g kg −1 formic acid diets.…”

Hydrolysed salmon meal as a replacement for salmon meal in practical diets for Pacific white shrimp ( Litopenaeus vannamei )

“…As growth was not influence, it would appear that the increased consumption we observed could be and artefact of reduced stability. Similarly, other studies reported that added formic acid or organic acid not only did not affect the growth performance, but also improved survival rate after the challenge test (Chuchird, Rorkwiree, & Rairat, ; Defoirdt, Halet, Sorgeloos, Bossier, & Verstraete, ; Koh, Romano, Zahrah, & Ng, ) and feed utilization (Koh et al, ). Those study results indicated that pH is not the main factor in influencing the performance in high silage diet.…”

Dietary Encapsulated Butyric Acid (Butipearl™) and Microemulsified Carotenoids (Quantum GLO™ Y) on the Growth, Immune Parameters and their Synergistic Effect on Pigmentation of Hybrid Catfish (Clarias macrocephalus × Clarias gariepinus)

“…Carotenoids can also improve survival rate, enhance resistance to several stress conditions as well as pigmentation. Therefore, both organic acids and carotenoids have the potential to be used in catfish farming as feed additives [1].…”