Title : Growth performance and gut pH of juvenile shrimp fed with a lignosulfonic acid-based feed acidifier
Abstract:
Pelleting is a crucial process in aquafeed production, significantly influencing both production efficiency and the quality of the final feed product. Enhancing pelleting efficiency can lead to substantial economic benefits and improved feed performance. This study, conducted on a shrimp farm in Asia, compares the effects of a newly developed lignosulfonate-based pelleting aid with an existing synthetic urea formaldehyde-based binder on production rate, energy consumption, and pellet durability. Three diets were tested using different dosages of pelleting aids: a control diet with 0.5% urea formaldehyde-based binder, and two experimental diets with 0.3% and 0.5% of the new lignosulfonate-based aqua feed binder. The results demonstrated that using 0.5% of the new product resulted in a 28.76% increase in productivity and a 29.13% reduction in energy consumption, along with improved pellet quality (maintaining the same water stability, 7.31% lower fines, and the same durability). Furthermore, using a lower dosage of 0.3% of the new product increased productivity by 2.47% and reduced energy consumption by 9.33%, without compromising pellet quality. The new sustainable aqua feed binder not only significantly enhanced milling performance but also showed potential as an effective pellet binder. These findings suggest that the lignosulfonate-based binder can improve pellet quality and production efficiency even at lower dosages compared to the urea formaldehyde-based binder, offering substantial economic benefits for aquafeed production.
