Metabolomic strategies for aquaculture research: a primer

114

Aquaculture is facing a strategic challenge to improve feed suitability and support the global increase in fish production. Improvements in diet formulation for sustainable nutritional strategies have focused to date on the partial substitution of marine resources by plant resources but will now include other alternative feedstuffs. Growth trials and body composition data provide valuable indicators of fish nutritional status, while omics technologies may contribute to a better understanding of fish nutrition and help to demonstrate how feed and nutrients act in fish metabolism. Metabolomic approaches give an insight into fish metabolism through a non‐targeted analysis of metabolites in tissues or biofluids that involve multiple factors affecting fish, such as nutrition. In this review, we highlight the outcomes of publications in metabolomics applied to fish nutrition. We explain the concept of metabolomics and discuss specific technical considerations related to sample type, sampling and sample preparation. We show how metabolomic studies help to elucidate the impact of nutrition on fish fillet composition and fish metabolism. Finally, we describe the potential applications of metabolomic approaches for the non‐invasive monitoring of fish nutritional status.

Section: Metabolomics: a Global View Of Metabolism Subject To Specifimentioning

confidence: 99%

Metabolomics and fish nutrition: a review in the context of sustainable feed development

Roques

Deborde

Richard

et al. 2018

114

“…Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and MS are the most commonly used platforms to identify analytes in metabolomics samples, previously fractionated using chromatography (gas or liquid chromatography) or electrophoresis. Mass spectrometry‐based approaches are advantageous considering their higher sensitivity; however, NMR‐based analyses are usually favoured since almost no sample's pre‐treatment is required (Young & Alfaro ). The size of the metabolome is unpredictable, highly diverse and varies with the species, and these analytical platforms can usually detect 100–1000 metabolites (Samuelsson & Larsson ).…”

Section: Biomarker and Proteomic Data Validation: Antibodies Vs A Mulmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Proteomics and other Omics approach in the context of farmed fish welfare and biomarker discovery

Magalhães

Cerqueira

Schrama

et al. 2018

The rapid and intensive growth of aquaculture over the last decade, poses a tremendous challenge to this industry in order to comply with the latest guidelines, established to minimise its negative effects on the environment, animal welfare and public health. Farmed fish welfare has become one of the main priorities towards sustainable aquaculture production with several initiatives launched by the European Union within the framework of the 2030 agenda. It is clear that an unbiased and reliable way to access farmed fish welfare needs to be implemented due to the lack of reliable indicators and standardised methods that are used at present. In this review, we start by addressing the status quo of animal and fish welfare definition in particular, describing the methods and assays currently used to measure it. We then explain why we believe these methods are unreliable and why there is a need to establish new ones that will promote productivity and consumer's acceptance of farmed fish. The establishment of a new type of welfare biomarkers using cutting‐edge technologies like proteomics and other omics technologies is proposed as a solution to this issue. Therefore, we provide a brief description of these new methodologies, describing for each one how they can improve our scientific knowledge and the role they can play in farmed fish welfare biomarker discovery.

“…Now 10 years later, it is still believed that the potential of metabolomics research with regard to aquaculture has yet to be realised (Alfaro & Young ). Although metabolomics as a research field are still in its infancy, the use of metabolomics for aquaculture application is highly relevant (Young & Alfaro ), considering that a well‐established value chain for aquaculture products (especially abalone) is in place, with the potential to expand as the market grows, and the recent advancements in metabolomics.…”

Section: Where To From Here?mentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Considering this, using such an approach for investigating abalone growth patterns would undoubtedly result in a better understanding of the effects of various stressors or interventions on the abalone metabolome, and possible metabolic pathways that are linked to growth, and the polymorphisms influencing this. Depending on the aim of the study, a number of different metabolomics approaches using a multitude of analytical techniques can be used to conduct metabolomics research, and a review by Young & Alfaro can be viewed for detailed explanations.…”

Section: Where To From Here?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Abalone growth and associated aspects: now from a metabolic perspective

Venter

Loots

Vosloo

et al. 2016

Worldwide, there are approximately 100 Haliotis species, more commonly known as abalone or ‘Paua’ in New Zealand, ‘Venus's‐ears’ in Greece, ‘Awabi’ in Japan, ‘Perlemoen’ in South Africa and ‘Ormers’ in Europe. Regardless of what they are called in any part of the world, a high monetary value is coupled to this animal, because it is largely considered a seafood delicacy. Subsequently, a great deal of research primarily focused on improving the health and growth rates of abalone were carried out to maximise productivity of the commercial farming efforts in various countries. In this review, we comprehensively describe the most recent available scientific literature on abalone biology, and those aspects related to the growth of this organism; more specifically, those factors related to the uptake and breakdown of metabolic products which ensures long‐term growth. We subsequently discuss this in terms of basic animal design, farming outcomes, feeding, cellular growth mechanisms and the unique metabolic processes that exist in these species. Using this information and the knowledge of the metabolic processes in other organisms, we additionally make a number of new hypotheses regarding how these metabolic processes may function in terms of abalone growth. Based on the information presented in this review, we also identify major research opportunities and gaps in the existing knowledge of abalone metabolism, which when elucidated may not only serve the purpose of better understanding these organisms growth but also could potentially lead to increased productivity of the abalone commercial farming sector.