WWW.WAS.ORG • WORLD AQUACULTURE • JUNE 2015 43 The nutrition provided by spray-dried plasma (SDP) is largely underutilized in aquaculture diets today. This article reviews several studies that demonstrate the positive effects of SDP on growth performance, feed efficiency, health condition and immune function of several aquatic species. The results suggest that SDP has potential to be a key ingredient in aquafeed for reducing the impact of stress and disease, while also resulting in better growth and efficiency. Supporting fish growth has been a main focus of feed producers and fish farmers for decades, with efficiency of nutrient conversion and assimilation being the main objectives. The development of aquaculture, production intensification and strong competition among producers has forced the sector to reduce production costs and find ways to create a competitive edge. Maintaining fish health and welfare is critical to achieving this, particularly in light of the potential effects of climate change and super-intensification of production. Also, new management strategies are needed to support growth and health, as the European Aquaculture Technology and Innovation Platform (EATIP) reported in the “Future of European Aquaculture,” released in 2012. By embracing nutritional strategies to address specific stresses, environmental situations, life-stage requirements An Untapped Resource: Spray Dried Plasma for Aquaculture Nutrition Enric Gisbert and Cristobal Aguilera and pathologies, aquaculture producers can optimize animal performance as well as operational efficiency. The use of functional feeds may be regarded as a risk management strategy for aquaculture stocks. With preventive health management through feed ingredients, aquatic animals can divert more energy to tissue growth and reduce biological energy reserves needed to fight disease. Plasma Proteins Benefit Multiple Species There is global recognition that terrestrial animal byproduct meals, including blood meal and blood products, represent a largely untapped source of safe animal proteins and lipids available from the international market for the aquafeed industry (Bureau 2000, Tacon 2000). Plasma proteins have proven to be a safe, high-quality feed ingredient for many animal species, including swine, cattle and poultry (Campbell et al. 2003, Ferreira et al. 2009, Fruge et al. 2009, Henn et al. 2013). Spray-dried plasma (SDP) is processed using spray-drying temperatures and conditions to preserve protein quality and functionality. SDP is a diverse mixture of proteins that have functional biological effects when incorporated and fed in animal diets. Due to the spray-drying process used in the manufacturing (CONTINUED ON PAGE 44) FIGURE 1. Final size distribution of body weight of Atlantic salmon fed diets containing graded levels of spray-dried plasma (SDP). Values indicate the average for each size range calculated from three replicates.
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