Lysophospholipid (LPL) supplementation in aquafeed has historically aimed at improving fat emulsification. While the benefits of supplementation on growth performance and fat utilization in aquatic species has been shown in several studies, the physiological mechanisms beyond emulsification in fish species have been unknown until now.
A new peer-review publication by the team of Antoni Ibarz from the Department of Cellular Biology, Physiology and Immunology of the University of Barcelona, and in collaboration with the leading seafood company MOWI and leading LPL manufacturer Adisseo, characterizes for the first time the physiological mechanisms underlying improved fish performance using shotgun proteomics. Almost 5000 proteins were identified in intestine and liver of Atlantic salmon, leading to the identification of metabolic pathways regulated by LPL supplementation.
Aqualyso®, an LPL based feed additive with digestive and metabolic enhancing properties, proved to increase the digestive capacity as well as the liver capacity of salmon to digest, absorb and process nutrients, and convert them into weight gain. Additionally, LPL reduce the proinflammatory state of fish. These effects are key for fish to improve its ability to deal with production conditions. This work supports the use of Aqualyso to gain flexibility in the use of alternative feed ingredients.