An upcoming area for research for the Danish fish feed company, BioMar, is feed for larval fish and hatchery feed.
However, the fish feed company isn’t the only one to look to support juvenile fish. That’s the area of focus for the Irish biotech company, MicroSynbiotiX, as they work to refine their edible vaccine system.
At the same time some researchers, like a group in Argentina, are in the process of designing feeds for juvenile fish that focus on sustainability as well as on production, looking to improve results when fishmeal is replaced in the diet of young pacu.
When looking at supporting shrimp growth and development, addressing disease can be a consideration.
The Maryland-based startup, VakSea, has been working to develop an edible immune-boosting protein grown in insects to help address disease issues in shrimp – during a period when they would be too small to be vaccinated by another process.
Other companies like Nor Feed have been exploring ways to improve feed conversion for young shrimp.
Taking a wider at production, an international research team has been tracking the potential for metabolic programming in shrimp as a way to improve growth performance in later stages of development.
Not all research aimed at improving animal health, growth or development focuses specifically on the production of a species or area.
Earlier this year we highlighted work done by Guangdong-based biotech firm, Bioforte Biotechnology, as they focused on developing an insect egg-based protein supplement for a range of species terrestrial and aquatic.
When looking at nutrition for dairy calves, sometimes it’s not about the immediate result.
Research conducted by Purina Animal Nutrition looked followed the use of a calf-supporting diet through the animal’s first three lactations.
The Missouri-based company found that altering early nutrition could play a role in generating about an additional 6,588lbs of milk.
Similarly, work done by Trouw Nutrition provided calves additional nutrition pre-weaning in an effort to program the cow’s later metabolism. In a longitudinal study, the company found the calves grew to have an altered metabolism, improved survival and earlier first calving.
Some researchers and companies take a more immediate look at calf diets, with a focus on improving or supporting production with alternative ingredients or feed additives.
The startup Bactana is currently working to commercialize a novel probiotic for use with beef and dairy calves. The goal of the effort is to improve calf survival rate and reduce incidence of scours.
Also focused on improving calf diets, researchers in China are looking to boost the average daily gain for dairy calves with a branched-chain volatile fatty acid supplement. The additive also may play a role in improving feed efficiency.
When it comes to supporting piglet health and development, the first place to start may be with the sow.
A plethora of researchers have been examining ways to improve piglet health, growth and performance by adding diet ingredients including porcine plasma, iron and canola meal to sow diets.
Similarly, research done by Novus explored the potential for trace mineral supplementation in pregnant sows as a way to improve the gene expression in piglets.
And a feeding trial run by NuMeCan, INRA and the University of Rennes found similar results for piglet feed intake and growth when feed additives were given to the sow and when they were fed to both the sow and the piglet.
When it comes to designing diets for piglet, there can be several challenges to address, including supporting young animals’ gut development to prepare them for a production system without the use of antibiotics or finding ways to encourage intake during heat stress.
Other researchers focused on early swine nutrition look more specifically at the use of alternative ingredients like fermented wheat or adding microalgae to diets.
The use of a set of consistent flavors also was of interest for some companies as a way to encourage intake in just-weaned piglets.
When it comes to supporting the growth and development of young chickens, the focus may be on ingredients, like the development of a novel probiotic, or a way to remove antibiotics from the production system – potentially through the use of eubiotic
A research team in the Czech Republic is developing a way to transfer gut microbiota from adult hens or specific gut anaerobes to newly hatched chicks. The process seeks to mimic the transfer young chicks would have were they raised by an older bird.
An international research team from Canada and China has been looking to replace antibiotics by supporting bird gut health with organic acids and essential oils.
However, some researchers are advocating for a larger view of nutrition for young birds. We heard earlier this year about efforts to improve bird production by focusing on the “ecosystem” within the bird.
