Use of Pelleted Diets in Commercially Farmed Decapods during Juvenile Stages: A Review

Abstract

The increasing market demand for decapods has led to a considerable interest in cultivating decapod species at a larger scale. Following the development of hatchery technologies, most research has focused on the development of formulated feeds for commercially farmed decapods once they enter the juvenile stages. The use of formulated feed for decapods at a commercial scale is still in the early stages. This is probably because of the unique feeding behavior that decapods possess: being robust, slow feeders and bottom dwellers, their feeding preferences change during the transition from pelagic larvae to benthic juveniles as their digestive systems develop and become more complex. The current practice of decapod aquaculture involves the provision of juveniles with food such as natural diet, live feed, and formulated feed. Knowledge of nutrient requirements enables diets to be better formulated. By manipulating the levels of proteins and lipids, a formulated feed can be expected to lead to optimal growth in decapods. At the same time, the pellet’s physical characteristics are important factors to be considered upon formulating commercially farmed decapod feeds, considering the unique feeding behavior of the decapod. However, most published studies on decapod nutrition lack data on the physical characteristics of the feed types. Thus, it is difficult to establish a standard feed formulation that focuses on the physical pellet properties. Moreover, careful consideration must be given to the feeding behavior of species, as decapods are known as bottom feeders and are robust in terms of handling feed. Information on the pellet forms, diet composition, and unique feeding behaviors in commercially farmed decapods is gathered to suggest potential better formulated diets that can optimize growth and reproduction. Thus, the purpose of this review is to summarize the information that has been published to date and to come up with suggestions on ways to improve the feed formulation in decapods that comply with their feeding behavior and nutrient requirements. Further research is needed to explore the potential of the pelleted feed at the adult stage so the decapod can take full advantage of the nutrients present in the pellets.

Morphological, Histological, and Physiological Responses of Female Orange Mud Crab, Scylla olivacea (Herbst, 1796), Fed with Different Dietary Lipid Levels

“…From the proximate analysis, it is noticed that the lipid levels in diets are increased by increasing the level of fish oil, which subsequently resulted in a higher level of HUFA, particularly ARA, EPA, and DHA. Reportedly, Aaqillah-Amr et al [26,47] documented an increase in ARA, EPA, and DHA in the diets developed for S. olivacea broodstock fed with 120 g/kg lipids (ARA = 0:81 mg/g, EPA = 1:27 mg/g, and DHA = 1:20 mg/g) as compared to that fed with 60 g/kg lipids (ARA = 0:47 mg/g, EPA = 0:32 mg/g, and DHA = 0:26 mg/g). These findings indicated that the increase in HUFA contents increased the lipid level of the crustacean diets, which is important when it comes to signaling pathways and growth performance of decapod crustaceans [49].…”

“…At the same time, ideal growth is achieved in a crustacean when micronutrients such as n-3 fatty acids are supplied at 8.6 mg/g for whiteleg shrimp [23], 12.7 mg/g for yellow mud crabs [24], and 30 mg/g for giant tiger prawn [25]. Lipids are among the most critical nutrient components required in crabs for energy expenditures, maturation, and growth [26,27]. The determination of lipid requirements in crabs is generally species-specific and varies according to different developmental stages.…”

Intensification of Penaeid Shrimp Culture: An Applied Review of Advances in Production Systems, Nutrition and Breeding

“…Overfeeding can quickly overload the system and underfeeding or inadequate dietary formulations can result in nutrient deficiencies. In some cases, diets of low apparent digestibility and poor pellet integrity can compromise both growth and feed efficiency, as well negatively impact water quality, deteriorating the environmental conditions and animal health [19,20]. On the other hand, breeding has an important role to play to ensure that cultured shrimp supplied to super-intensive farms are well suited to the range of conditions likely to be experienced and that their production performance can be enhanced through an ongoing process of genetic improvement [21].…”

Supplementation of hairy eggplant (Solanum ferox) and bitter ginger (Zingiber zerumbet) extracts as phytobiotic agents on whiteleg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei)

“…The highest FCR (1.51) was found in the control treatment ( Table 1 ). The FCR was inversely proportional to weight growth, so the lower the FCR, the higher the efficiency of the shrimp in utilizing feed for growth [ 37 ]. On the other hand, if the shrimp body is unstable, then the shrimp may experience a decrease in appetite and the feed provided is not converted into biomass.…”