Nucleotide Supplementation in Aquaculture Nutrition

Nucleotide supplementation has emerged as a strategic feed‐additive approach in aquaculture, aimed at enhancing growth performance, immune competence and intestinal health of cultured species. As semi-essential nutrients, dietary nucleotides support rapid cell proliferation and repair under intensive rearing conditions, particularly when endogenous synthesis may be insufficient. Incorporation of yeast- or bacterial-derived nucleotides into low-fish-meal or plant-protein diets has been shown to improve protein utilisation, modulate antioxidant status and bolster non-specific immune defences. Such effects translate into more robust responses to pathogenic challenge and improved survival rates, reducing dependence on antibiotics and contributing to sustainable production. Practical formulations typically supply nucleotides at levels ranging from several hundred milligrams to a few grams per kilogram of diet, optimised according to species and life stage. Beyond finfish, applications in crustacean nutrition have similarly demonstrated benefits to haemocyte function and disease resistance. Global adoption reflects the dual need to maintain fishmeal-reduced feeds and to meet biosecurity standards, underpinning the role of nucleotide supplementation in next-generation aquafeed design.

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Nucleotide Supplementation in Aquaculture Nutrition publication trend

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Technical terms

Nucleotide: Organic compound composed of a nitrogenous base, pentose sugar and phosphate group; fundamental unit of nucleic acids and active in cellular metabolism.

Feed conversion ratio (FCR): Metric expressing the amount of feed required to achieve a unit of weight gain, used to evaluate feed efficiency.

Lysozyme activity: Measure of an enzyme’s capacity to lyse bacterial cell walls, serving as an indicator of innate immune function.

Haemocyte: Immune cell circulating in the haemolymph of crustaceans, responsible for phagocytosis and pathogen clearance.

Histomorphology: Examination of tissue structure and organisation, often applied to assess organ health and development in nutritional studies.

References

1. Dietary nucleotides enhanced growth performance, carcass composition, blood biochemical, and histology features of European sea bass, Dicentrarchus labrax L. Aquaculture Reports (2021).
2. Effects of dietary nucleotides supplementation on growth, total haemocyte count, lysozyme activity and survival upon challenge with Vibrio harveyi in pacific white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei. Aquaculture Reports (2021).
3. Effects of Dietary Nucleotide Supplementation on Performance, Profitability, and Disease Resistance of Litopenaeus vannamei Cultured in Indonesia under Intensive Outdoor Pond Conditions. Animals (2022).