Salmofood unveiled Biohealth, a new product of its Careblocks line, mainly based on a probiotic of marine origin. Biohealth is a nutritional supplement that protects the integrity of the intestine, improving digestion and absorption of nutrients.
According to Salmofood's nutritional solutions manager, Sergio Castillo, an important aspect of Biohealth is that the probiotic is microencapsulated in a layer of seaweed, which gives the block the support as a probiotic and prebiotic at the same time. “The additive has undergone several cutting-edge validation studies, at experimental level and in farms, with unique and highly relevant results,” Castillo said.
Metagenomic studies have been carried out to verify the modulation of bacterial populations in the intestine of salmon when using Biohealth. “We have no doubt that the incorporation of probiotics and intestinal health promoters will be a tool that will accompany Chilean salmon farming in its continuous effort to be more sustainable every day,” Castillo said.
Case study
The product was validated at Vitapro Chile research center but also in the field. Three cages were analyzed after the use of Biohealth two times separated by 60 days. A significant improvement was observed in the health of the hindgut, evaluated by a value (Fig. 1; Histo Score) that includes vacuolar depletion in enterocytes, hyperplasia of mucosal cells, increased intraluminal mucinous secretion, thickening of the submucosa, among others. After the use of Biohealth, a decrease in the intestinal values was observed, which shows a healthy, functional intestine with better performance to capture nutrients and improve the overall health of the fish.
Figure 1. Histo Score.
In addition, measurements of intestinal villi were made before the use of Biohealth. A positive growth (µm) was observed after 60 days of the administration (an average of 33%, 23% and 28%; Fig. 2). The increase in the villi means better use of the nutrients available in the diet.
Figure 2. Intestina villi length.
Castillo recommends that to maximize the benefits of this product, a higher dose of Careblock Biohealth should be applied for at least 30 days after intestinal dysbiosis events to regenerate the tissue and allow the repopulation of the microbiota with beneficial bacteria. “Another excellent option is to continue with a lower dose for a long time that allows maintaining good intestinal health. As the digestive tract is one of the main sources of access for pathogens, having an intact mucosa prevents diseases during the production cycle,” Castillo pointed out.
“We believe that given the growing demand that we have been noticing for the use of our medicated diets, it seems extremely important to us to take into account products such as Biohealth. This nutritional supplement can work very effectively if it is combined with the correct use of our line of medications, in order to combat the pathological conditions that fish face today,” said business manager of Salmofood, Ernesto Passalacqua. “The more we advance with different strategies for using Biohealth during the crop cycle, the fewer antibiotic treatments we will require and we will achieve better intestinal health, which is our ultimate goal.”
This product development has been done together with Marine Akwa and Feeding Latin America.
