Lallemand Animal Nutrition's latest trial results conducted in L. vannamei shrimp in China, Tianjin, showed YANG helps support immunity, antioxidant defenses and intestinal health. These benefits are translated into improved production performance for shrimp farmers. YANG is a specific yeast derivative specially developed by Lallemand to elicit a balanced immune response.
The goal of the trial was to evaluate the effect of YANG supplementation on non-infectious immunity, such as antioxidant defenses, intestinal health, growth performance and survival of L. vannamei, and check, at the end of the trial, the effect of the diet on a Vibrio challenge.
The trial was conducted on juvenile white shrimp, comparing a standard commercial feed to the same feed supplemented with increased levels of the yeast derivative YANG. At day 56, shrimp were challenged with Vibrio parahaemolyticus.
The trial showed a positive dose-response effect of the supplement on shrimp antioxidant defenses. As a result, decreased levels of oxidative damage and oxidative stress were measured in both compartments: the hemolymph and the hepatopancreas. This shows that YANG supports shrimp antioxidant defenses both under normal conditions and following a challenge, preparing the animals to face this health challenge.
The trial also showed improved robustness of the intestinal barrier as measured by significantly longer gut villi and increased number of goblet cells — the mucus-producing cells of the gut lining that play a key role in the intestinal barrier function. The intestinal barrier is another important defense element against a non-infectious challenge.
As a result, the shrimp were better prepared to face the disease challenge as proven by their survival rate post-challenge, which was significantly improved with YANG from the lowest dose in a dose-response manner. The supplement improved the juvenile shrimp’s resilience to the pathogen. Finally, growth performance was significantly improved in this trial for each of the dosages measured, despite the challenge.
“This new trial in shrimp shows the benefits of YANG on antioxidant defense mechanisms, which are part of what we can call the non-infectious immune response, as well as on gut health. These results are in addition to previous trials in shrimp demonstrating the positive effects of YANG on mechanisms such as phagocytosis, melanization and respiratory burst activity — each of which is more related to what could be called infectious immunity. Interestingly, with this balanced immune support, we can see in this experiment that, even at high doses and after a continuously long time supplementation, YANG exerts benefits on global performances and improves resistance to a pathogen challenge,” concluded Stéphane Ralite, aquaculture product manager at Lallemand Animal Nutrition.
