ARS | Publication request: Review: use of organic acids, salts in fish diets

Submitted to: Global Aquaculture Advocate
Publication Type: Review Article
Publication Acceptance Date: August 10, 2010
Publication Date: September 1, 2010
Citation: Lim, C.E., Luckstadt, C., Klesius, P.H. 2010. Review: use of organic acids, salts in fish diets. Global Aquaculture Advocate. 13(5):45-46.

Technical Abstract: In intensive aquaculture production, loss due to bacterial diseases has been identified as a major economic loss to producers. Feeding antibiotic-medicated feeds is a common practice to treat bacterial infections. The prophylactic use of antibiotics as growth promoters in aquaculture production has also occurred, although not as extensive as in swine and poultry production. This can lead to the emergence of antibiotic-resistance bacteria, and contamination in food product and the environment. The use of antibiotics in animal production has been banned in EU countries and is increasingly under public scrutiny and criticism in most other countries. Consequently, a wide variety of products ranging from plant extracts, prebiotics, probiotics and organic acids or their salts have been evaluated as alternatives to antibiotics, but results obtained are inconsistent. This article presents a brief overview on the effects of dietary organic acids (such as acetic acid, formic acid, fumaric acid, lactic acid, propionic acid and citric acid), their salts (calcium/sodium lactate or formate, potassium diformate and calcium propionate) or their combination on growth performance, feed and nutrient utilization efficiency, and disease resistance in salmonids, tilapia and other fish species.