Why vitamin C is mainly used during the culture of shrimp?

 Hello everyone:

        Today we will see the important antioxidant which is included with diets during the culture days....

 Essential:

        Always keep this in mind... We are not culturing the shrimp in their natural environment. We are culturing in high stocking densities compares to its natural environment.... So the needs for essential nutrients also high... If your culture depends on the natural production means then no problem for high use of additive compounds to the culture.. most of us only depends on the artificial feeds.

      Make sure the feed we using must be in high quality. Many basic rules are their to check feed quality. I will post about how to check this quality by physically.. poor feed quality leads to lost of culture. Improper storage leads to rancidity, if you use that racid feed to your shrimp then it will damage the shrimp tissues... Be aware and careful of using and choosing feed..

Vitamins:

   We all know vitamins divide into water soluble and fat soluble . In this vitamin C comes under water soluble vitamin. Generally, vitamins are very essential and needs in very small amount in the diet. Vitamins plays many role in growth, reproduction, metabolism etc...these essential vitamins are not fully synthesized by their body.

      Vitamin C - important antioxidant and also helps for better immune system.

Did you know?

Different types of feed we using,

1. Dry feeds.

2. Moist feeds.

3. Semi moist feeds.

4. Wet feeds.

Based on the moisture level, they are classified like this. In shrimp culture, we using dry feeds. It is easy for transportation and storage. If you are using high moisture feeds then high chance for losting of water soluble vitamins.. if you are using feeds that prepared in your pond, then you have use very fastly. Because presence of moisture leads to deterioration and chance for infection .

Vitamin C deficiency:

      Vitamin C deficiency causes black shell death disease in your shrimp. You can see some of black colour melanized lesion in the exoskeleton of the shrimp from the gills to hind gut. You can see in this in side of the body. It is mainly affects the collagenous layer of the shrimp... It causes decreases molting and affects hepatopancreas of the shrimp.

        Generally, vitamin C is lost from the feed during pelleting and extrusion process. By it's nature of water solubility, it is lost during the manufacturing process.. 

       Many researches told, Vitamin C is lost during normal storage condition also. Not only vit C, other water soluble vitamins also.. but compares to others Vit C is more important. So, only we added Vit C separately to the culture.

Why antioxidant is important?

        During excess oxidation, some of free radicals are formed in the cell. If you neutralize these free radicals then it cause no damage. If you are not neutralize these radicals then it cause cell damage and leads to death of cell.. if this free radicals formed in your shrimp cell at any extreme situation, the presence of vitamin C neutralize these radicals and cause no damage to cells... in this process vit E also involved with vit C.

I hope you understand about this process....

 Very important : In Aquaculture, we killed most of the unwanted organism by this mechanism only....it is an very important mechanism.

I already told, vitamin C deficiency causes lesions and causes the improper collagen formation...

         Collagen is a type of protein and it is a connective tissue which is present under the exoskeleton. It keeps the muscle and exoskeleton together. It also helps in formation of blood vessels. Proline and hydroxyproline is very essential for collagen formation. In this process of hydroxyproline formation, vitamin C is very very essential. 

                      Vitamin C

          Hydroxylation of proline

               Hydroxyproline

   Collagen formation ( connective tissue)

If Vit C is deficient, then it causes the black shell death disease..

- Vitamin C increases intestinal absorption.

- Vitamin C plays one of the role in exoskeleton formation.

- If your pond have heavy rain, at that time the temperature and salinity of your pond decreases and cause stress to shrimp. At that time, addition of Vitamin C prevents the stress and also increases metabolism even at some low temperature.

- If your shrimp muscle get damages, then Vitamin C increases the process of wound healing.

- Vitamin C increases the immune stimulating properties of your shrimp. Vitamin C is very useful in so many ways..

Some of the researches told, vitamin C included diet in shrimp have more survival at presence of Vibrio.

How to give the vitamin C with feed?

     Researches told, phophorylated forms of vitamin C gives more efficiency and stability. Hydroxyl (OH-) group present in the vitamin C in tightly bound with phosphate group. This binding prevents the oxidation and prevents loss of vitamins. In general, some of salts like Mg or ca is used as a mediator for binding hydroxyl group with phosphate. So presence of salt also important. 

      This phosporylated feed increases stability and prevents oxidation.

These are the various benefits of Vitamin C. Give the all water soluble vitamins mix with feed gives good results. Note: Excess vitamins also leads to disease.... Share my blog and also follow my page. ( click on top right and follow option there).

                        Thank you 😊.

P.Dhivagar BFSc,

dhivagarfcri2000@gmail.com