Russian experts discover a new type of fish feed additive

Russian @#@233@#@ experts have recently found that chitosan, a biopolymer extracted from the shells of marine crustaceans, can be used as a fish feed additive, making fish feed easier to transport; fish that eat feed containing chitosan become plumper and finer.

Ordinary fish feed is processed into loose pellets, but during transport it easily crumbles from friction or squeezing, and once put into water it quickly swells and breaks apart from soaking, causing waste. Therefore, when processing fish feed, adhesive ingredients need to be added to strengthen the pellets' resistance to friction and water. Experts at the All-Russian Research Institute of Freshwater Fisheries focused their research on chitosan. Chitosan is a high-molecular-weight polysaccharide biopolymer extracted from the shells of marine crustaceans; it is a natural edible cellulose for animals, can dissolve in dilute acid and human body fluids, is absorbed and utilized by the body, and has no toxic side effects. Dissolved chitosan takes on a gel state and has strong adhesion. According to the Russian magazine Science Information, researchers found that after chitosan is added to fish feed, the feed pellets become very firm, effectively preventing crumbling during transport. They used chitosan, methionine, glutamic acid and oil cake to process a special mixture and stirred it evenly into the feed. Experiments found that fish raised on this feed grew faster and fatter, effectively increasing fish yields while saving feed. Analysis by experts of the biochemical composition of fish blood and fish meat as well as fish liver showed that fish that ate feed containing the chitosan additive had greatly increased nutrients in their meat, while toxic substances in their bodies were greatly reduced. The researchers explained that chitosan is an effective detoxifying agent.