Introduction
Shrimp farming often suffers from high mortalities and poor growth. Mycotoxins are one of the contributing factors for these losses, however, they are often underestimated and rarely monitored in the aquaculture industry.
Driven by the need to reduce feeding costs associated with the increasingly high price of fishmeal, the industry has transitioned toward more cost effective and sustainable, plant-based protein sources. However, as these plant-derived ingredients progressively replace marine proteins in aquafeeds, the risk of shrimp exposure to fungal contaminants has intensified, making mycotoxin prevalence a critical challenge in modern aquaculture management. In this context, fumonisins are mycotoxins produced by fungi of the genus Fusarium, which are highly prevalent in corn and its by-products. In shrimp, documented effects include immunosuppression, multi-organ damage (particularly to the hepatopancreas) and degradation of muscle tissue (Oliveira et al., 2020). Collectively, these factors lead to significant reductions in survival rates, as well as in growth and overall production yield.
Consequently, implementing nutritional strategies such as the use of dietary anti-mycotoxin additives is an efficient approach to mitigate their toxic effects and enhance the overall survival and growth performance of shrimp.
This study evaluated the efficacy of a commercial anti-mycotoxin additive (AMA) specific for aquatic species against the adverse effects of fumonisins and its impact on the performance of Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei).
Materials and Methods
An anti-mycotoxin additive (AMA) was tested to assess its efficacy and determine the best dose for Pacific white shrimp. Four treatments (0, 1, 2, and 3 g AMA kg-1 diet) were randomly allocated in 12 aquaria during larval rearing (20 days), followed by 12 fibreglass tanks during the subsequent grow-out phase (90 days). Both stages were conducted within controlled Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS) conditions. To simulate natural contamination, standard shrimp feed was mixed with 10 % moldy corn meal, resulting in chronic low-level exposure to fumonisins, as confirmed by high performance liquid chromatography analysis.
The following performance parameters were evaluated: feed conversion, protein efficiency, survival, and growth. Differences between treatment groups were analyzed using a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) to determine the effects of the anti-mycotoxin additive, followed by Tukey's HSD test for post-hoc mean comparisons.
Results
During the larval rearing phase (Day 1–20), dietary supplementation with AMA significantly enhanced structural development. The addition of the additive resulted in increased final length and length gain (p<0.05) across all treated groups compared to the control. While survival rates and weight gain remained statistically similar to the control during this initial short-term stage, the positive effects of the additive became more pronounced during the subsequent grow-out phase (Day 21–111). Performance indicators showed significant improvements in survival rate and feed efficiency (p<0.05), while growth rates exhibited a positive numerical trend during the grow-out period. The inclusion of AMA resulted in increased survival from 27.3% in the control group to 60.3% in supplemented groups. Feed utilization was also optimized (p<0.05), with the Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR) improving from 2.3 in the control to below 1.5 in all supplemented groups. Simultaneously, the Protein Efficiency Ratio (PER) showed an increasing trend with higher dosages reaching levels at least 1.5 times higher than the control (p<0.05).
Discussion
The administration of the AMA significantly improved growth and overall health by adsorbing directly feed contaminants, and reducing their toxicity through bio-protective and postbiotic mechanisms. During larval rearing, AMA increased length gain, while in the 90-day grow-out phase it doubled survival rates and enhanced feed efficiency. These benefits are attributed to the synergistic action of the AMA ingredients (selected clays, phytogenics like curcumin, and post-biotic components) that mitigated oxidative stress and bolstered the shrimp's immune response.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the tested AMA improved both larval rearing and grow-out performance between 1 and 3 g AMA kg -1 diet, with optimal responses around 2 g AMA kg -1 diet for the grow-out stage. These findings provide valuable insights by expanding our understanding of how mycotoxins impact farmed crustacean species. Furthermore, this research highlights the potential of novel additives as vital tools for modern aquaculture, serving as a robust foundation for future trials evaluating varying feeding regimes and stocking densities in commercial outdoor pond environments.
Acknowledgments
This work was funded by the Centre for the Development of Technology and Innovation (CDTI) of the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (Project IDI-20230474).
References
Oliveira, M., & Vasconcelos, V. (2020) Occurrence of mycotoxins in fish feed and its effects: A review. Toxins. 12 (3) 160. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins12030160