Practical supplementation of shrimp and fish feeds with crystalline amino acids

In 2011, aquaculture accounted for almost 64million MT of fish, crustaceans and mollusks (FAO, 2012). Fish meal has historically been the protein source of choice in aquatic feeds, but global supplies have reached a plateau making it less available and more expensive. As a consequence, the use of cheaper proteins made from processed plant proteins, byproducts from agriculture, fisheries or the slaughtering of terrestrial production animals was popularized within the aquaculture feed industry. Although these alternative ingredients may contain a crude protein (CP) content comparable to fish meal, they may be less digestible and deficient in one or more of the ten essential amino acids (EAAs). This has required the adoption of more modern formulation approaches which take into account nutrient availability, especially in regard to EAAs. EAA requirements have been established for a number of species of fish and shrimp. Methionine (Met) followed by lysine (Lys) are the first limiting amino acids in plant and rendered animal byproducts. Formulating for EAAs by simply increasing the dietary inclusion levels of the feedstuffs that contain intact sources of the targeted EAAs can lead to overformulated feeds with excessive levels of CP and other nutrients. A more rational approach is to supplement the diet with crystalline amino acids (CAAs). A first step to the application of a nutrient-based formulation approach is knowledge of the digestible EAA content of the ingredients available for use in the formula. It is highly desirable to formulate on a CP, EAA and energy digestibility basis in line with current formulation practices of most modern feed companies. Further expansion of current EAA digestibility values across ingredients and farmed aquatic species will further enable nutrient based formulation. By formulating on an EAA basis across farmed aquatic species, nutritionists have realized least cost formulation opportunities with the use of CAAs which are now available throughout the world at accessible prices. The CAAs mostly used by the animal feed industry, in order of usage, are the following: dl-methionine or Met analogs, l-lysine, l-threonine, l-tryptophan, l-isoleucine and l-valine. Met and Lys are the most currently used due to their wide availability and importance as most limiting EAAs in plant protein ingredients, such as soy and corn based meals. There is a relatively wide variation in the dietary Met and Lys requirement values for farmed fish and shrimp. This is due to differences in species requirements, culture systems, developmental stage and composition of experimental diets. The dietary Met requirements for fish and shrimp range from 0.5 to 1.5% and from 0.7 to 0.9% of the diet, respectively (NRC, 2011). The dietary Lys requirements range from 1.2% to 3.3% of the diet for cultured fish and from 1.6 to 2.1% of the diet for cultured shrimp. Appropriate dietary Met and Lys levels improve the use of other EAAs because they have the ability to reduce the oxidation rate of other amino acids.The present review discusses bioavailability, requirements and sources of EAAs and practical considerations for their application in aquaculture feeds. The appropriate supplementation of crystalline amino acids in feeds for fish and shrimp represents an opportunity to reduce formulation costs in the face of the volatile commodity market of protein ingredients and the short supply of fish meal. Competitiveness in the aquatic animal feed industry today depends upon application of modern and environmentally-sound formulation techniques based on nutrient value and supplementation with crystalline EAA to meet animal nutrient requirements.