VIVO_1-2013-en

Nutrition 15 VIVO Functional food: More than just eating your fill… Today, well informed fishkeepers ex- pect more from a brand food product than just fish that have eaten their fill. Correct nutrition is a basic precondition for a long and healthy life. As usual for sera ever since, high quality and manifold ingredients according to nature must be carefully blended and gently processed to make a good food. This ensures the fish being sup- plied with all required components in suit- able amounts. Furthermore, modern foods that fol- low recent scientific findings may consider- ably enhance the fish doing well in an ob- jectively measurable, while merely natural, way by using functional additives. These functional additives include mannan oligo- saccharides (MOS). Which effects do MOS have? MOS are prebiotically effective cell wall components of a specific yeast strain that support intestinal health in a natural way and improve the general health status of the fed animals. The efficiency and func- tionality of MOS has been proven exten- sively in numerous scientific studies as well as in long-term practical use (e.g. aquacul- ture). Among others, the following effects of MOS in fish have been scientifically proven: Growth and weight enhancement; improved specific growth rate; perfor- mance improvement, intestinal health and immunity (especially while under stress); reduced mortality (improved ability to sur- vive), improved food and nutrient utiliza- tion; improvement of intestinal health and intestinal function; denser and longer mikrovilli; the intestinal mucous membrane protects – under the influence of MOS – against infections more effectively and die blood health improves. Prebioticsare indigestible oligosaccharides, i.e. carbohy- drates, that positively affect their host by stimulating growth and/ or activity of one or several bac- teria species – especially lactic acid and bifido bacteria – within the intestines in a targeted way. They thus alter the intestinal ﬂora in a positive way. The “good” bacteria multiply while the “bad ones” become less. sera – functional food for fish doing better and living longer! How do MOS work? There are numerous basic mecha- nisms of action of MOS. Being prebiotics, they support a healthy, balanced intestinal flora. Furthermore, MOS specifically re- duce the growth of pathogenic bacteria by inhibiting them attaching to the intestinal mucous membrane. Studies have revealed that, for instance, the number of Vibrio bacteria that cause severe damage in many fish species (especially in aquaculture) was considerably reduced when using MOS. MOS also have a positive effect on the intestinal structures. The number and length of the mikrovilli (protrusions of the intestinal epithelia cells) are considerably increased by using MOS, which strongly increases the intestinal surface. This leads to optimized digestion performance. Be- sides these effects, a direct positively stim- ulating effect on the entire immune system could also be proven for MOS. Comparison of intestinal sections of rainbow trout fed without or with MOS addition, visualized by light microscopy. The intestinal structures are considerably more complex when feeding with MOS (on the right). Source: Sweetman et al., 2010 Comparison of intestinal epithelia cells of Cobia fish larvae fed without and with MOS, visualized by electron microscopy. With MOS (bottom), a considerable prolonga- tion and compaction of the mikrovilli. The number and sizes of vacuoles and vesicles within the cells became lower. Source: Salze et al., 2008 Why does sera use MOS? In summary, using MOS is an import- ant preventive measure for maintaining the health of the fish being fed. The animals become ill less easily, infections take course more mildly and the recovery phase becomes shorter. Medicinal treatments, e.g. against bacterial infections, are re- quired much less frequently. Due to their proven positive, safe ef- fects, in particular referring to enhancing immunity, and as natural, functional ingre- dients, MOS have deserved their place in the ingredient list of sera food products.

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