Clementine Oguey, Aqua Product Expert, PANCOSMA & Associates
The term plant extracts usually refers to components
naturally occurring in plants, and namely regroups true plant extract such as
essential oils or oleoresins, and nature identical molecules. These additives
commonly suffer from a lack of transparency in the commercially available
products and an inconsistency in their contents in active molecules, explaining
the great discrepancy of activity between products containing similar
compounds. However, as long as the additives considered have standardized
formula and manufacturing process, their mode of action at recommended dosage
can be consistently elucidated. This consequently explains the beneficial
effects of these products on performance and health.
Historically, the effect of plant extracts is based on
their antimicrobial activity. The minimum inhibitory concentrations of these
compounds remain much higher than the standard dosages recommended in animal
diets. This suggests that the effect of these products is not associated to a
direct antimicrobial activity and highlights the importance to test them at
their recommended dosage.
Well defined plant extracts such as standardized
capsicum, turmeric oleoresins or cinnamaldehyde have been shown to modulate
immunity at reduced levels and affected the systemic immune response of animals
challenged with bacteria or viruses. The clarification of the mode of action of
single plant extract associated to comparative physiology enable to develop
combinations targeting specific applications.
Under standard animal production practices, the
beneficial impact of these plant extracts on gut immune modulation can explain
their efficacy to consistently improve gut function and subsequent fish
resistance to disease and performance.
Plant extracts generally suffer from a lack of consistency
to improve productive performance of target species. Consecutive trials
demonstrated that compared to a negative control, a blend of three specific
phytocomponents consistently increased body weight gain by and reduced feed
conversion ratio in tilapia.
In addition to this beneficial impact on productive
performance, the gut immunity effect of some plant extracts can also be
exploited to increase the resistance of aqua species to diseases induced for
example by bacteria.
Despite common belief, well defined and standardized
plant extracts based feed additives are good tools to improve health and
performance in current aqua production systems. The extended knowledge of the
primary effects of these compounds opens new fields of utilization. However, the
nutritional application of such products also involves taking into account gut
physiology, immunology and microbiology, and farm practices.
Clementine Oguey received her B.S. degree in animal nutrition, and
M.S. degree in Agro-food and health from ISAB, a French university specializing
in agricultural engineering. Following her graduation in 2006, she joined Pancosam's
R&D department in Geneva, Switzerland, where she currently works as a
Technical Expert, focusing on the XTRACT® range of plant extract-based
products, for all animals, including aquatic species. Her role is to coordinate
all field trials worldwide, to provide technical support, as well as to publish
scientific articles and participate in international conferences. She has been working on the
practical application of plant extract based feed additives in aqua species for
three years.
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