Plant by-products are valuable ingredients in the formulation of sustainable and cost-effective aquafeeds, particularly for species with herbivorous and omnivorous habits. However, the use of these ingredients implies nutritional limitations associated to the presence of antinutritional compounds such non-starch polysaccharides (NSPs) and phytate.
Multi-enzymatic solutions based on carbohydrases and phytases that can counteract the negative effects of NSPs and phytase are rising in aquaculture as powerful tools to increase the nutritional value of plant by-products. While these enzymes are normally applied in aquafeeds via oil top-coating or spraying, an alternative strategy can be their use during pre-treatment or hydrolysis of the ingredients before extrusion.
This article explores the use of Rovabio® in ingredient pre-treatment strategies and in the improvement of growth and feed efficiency of mullet.