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Plant essential oils as fish diet additives: benefits on fish health and stability in feed
Author(s) -
Sutili Fernando J.,
Gatlin Delbert M.,
Heinzmann Berta M.,
Baldisserotto Bernardo
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
reviews in aquaculture
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.998
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1753-5131
pISSN - 1753-5123
DOI - 10.1111/raq.12197
Subject(s) - aquaculture , microbiology and biotechnology , fish <actinopterygii> , biology , health benefits , fish oil , animal health , food science , medicine , traditional medicine , fishery , zoology
Abstract Nutritional strategies focused on the use of phytochemicals as modulators of immunological and physiological responses, as well as antistress and antioxidant therapies and health promoters of the gastrointestinal tract have attracted increased interest in animal production. Over the past two decades, several studies have reported positive results of using plant essential oils ( EO s) as dietary additive in several farm animal species. Recently, these nutritional alternatives have been evaluated and reported in fish production in order to enhance the resistance to diseases and prevent outbreaks, as well as to improve fish growth, animal welfare and feed utilization. However, despite the diverse and relevant biological activities reported, these phytochemicals are composed of often unstable and volatile molecules, which makes the chemical and physical characteristics of the EO s important aspects to be considered in fish nutrition research. This review summarizes the current knowledge regarding the use of plant EO s as fish dietary additives, focusing on their potential as modulators of the gut bacterial community and discussing some aspects regarding their stability in feeds.