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NUTRITIONAL FOOD
VALUE: The use of spirulina as complementary feed in various sector of
aquaculture resulting fast growth factors, enhancing the pigmentation and
immunity systems. It is considered as an excellent food, lacking toxicity and
having corrective properties against the pathogenic micro organisms. It lacks
cellulose cell walls and therefore do not requires chemical or processing in
order to become digestible. The digestibility is 83 – 84 %. Spirulina is
regarded as a rich source of protein, vitamins, essential mineral, amino acids,
EFFA like gamma LNA and antioxidant pigments like carotenoids.
Nutritional profile
of Spirulina Powder : In Table-1
Biochemical
composition
Protein & Amino
acids :-Spirulina contains 60-70% protein along with phenolic acids,
tocopherols, carotenes and linolenic acids for which represents an important
stapale in diets. The essential amino acids are present around 47 % of
total protein weight. The spectrum of amino acid represent that the
biological value of proteins in spirulina is very high
.
Amino acid
and Biological function of Fishes & Shrimps
- ISOLEUCINE : Required for optimal growth,
nitrogen equilibrium in the body .Used to synthesize other non-essential
amino acids.
- LEUCINE : Increases muscular energy
levels.
- LYSINE : Building block of blood
antibodies, strengthens circulatory system and maintains normal growth of
cells.
- METHIONINE : Vital lipotropic (fat and
lipid metabolizing) amino acid that maintains liver health. An anti-stress
factor.
- PHENYLALANINE : Stimulates metabolic
rate.
- THREONINE : Improves intestinal
competence and digestive assimilation.
- TRYPTOPHANE : Increases utilization of B
vitamins, improves nerve health.
- VALINE : Stimulates muscle
coordination
Essential amino
acids in Spirulina :In Table-2
Cabohydrates: Spirulina
contains about 15 -21 % carbohydrates in the form of Glucose, fructose,
sucrose, rhamnose, mannose, xylose and galactose. It provides the appropriate
and important food stuff for aquatic culture animals with problems of poor
intenstinal absorption. Carbohydrates occur in sufficient quantities of
mesoinositol phosphate which is the excellent source of organic phosphorus and
inositol. A high moleculatory weight polysaccharide are believed to have effect
on DNA repair mechanisms, immune-stimulatory and immunoregulatory properties.
Nucleic acids : Spirulina contains
2.2 % - 3.5 % of RNA and 0.6 %-1% and DNA, which represents less than 5%
of these acids,based on dry weight.
Essential fatty
acids: Spirulina has a high amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids
(PUFAs) and 1.5–2.0 percent of total lipid. Spirulina is rich in γ-linolenic
acid (ALA), linoleic acid (LA), stearidonic acid (SDA), eicosapentaenoic
acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (AA).
β-carotene and
vitamins: Spirulina contains vitamin B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3
(nicotinamide), B6 (pyridoxine), B9 (folic acid), B12 (cyanocobalamin), vitamin
C, vitamin D and vitamin E. The β-carotene, B-group vitamin, vitamin E, iron,
potassium and chlorophyll available in the spirulina can promote the metabolism
of carbohydrate, fats, protein, alcohol, and the reproduction of skin, muscle
and mucosa. Spirulina contains large amounts of natural β-carotene and this
β-carotene is converted into vitamin A.
Minerals: Spirulina is a
rich source of potassium, and also contains calcium, chromium, copper, iron,
magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, selenium, sodium, zinc, molybdenum, chloride,
germanium and
boron.
Photosynthetic pigments: Spirulina
contains many pigments including chlorophyll a, xanthophyll, betacarotene,
echinenone, myxoxanthophyll, zeaxanthin, canthaxanthin,
diatoxanthin, 3-hydroxyechinenone, beta-cryptoxanthin, oscillaxanthin,
plus the phycobiliproteins, c-phycoc yanin and
allophycocyanin.
Natural Pigment
Enhancers: Phycocyanin (Blue): 14%, Chlorophyll (Green): 1% , Carotenoids
(Orange/ Red): 47%.
Nutritional
supplementary property
Spirulina can be used as a partial supplementation
or complete replacement for protein in aqua feeds. Spirulina is a feed
supplement for the all fishes, giant freshwater prawns and marine water shrimps
and significantly improvement occurs on growth, survival, immunity, viability
and feed utilization. Spirulina is a cheaper feed ingredient with high protein
than others of animal origin. Spirulina diet is found as most suitable
supplementary feeding to reduce the cultivation time and mortality, and
increase shell thickness of shrimp carapace. Feeding on spirulina helps
to improve disease resistance and an improvement in their survival rate. Fast
growth occurs when fed a diet containing spirulina meal (Britz, 1996 )
Chelating of toxic
minerals (neutralization of toxic minerals) Spirulina has a
unique quality to detoxify (neutralize) or to chelate toxic minerals, and this
characteristic is not yet noticed in any other microalgae (Maeda and Sakaguchi,
1990; Okamura and Aoyama, 1994). Spirulina can be used to detoxify arsenic from
water and food. It also may be used to chelatize or detoxify or neutralize the
poisonous effect of heavy metals (minerals) from water, food and environment.
Spirulina provides phycocyanin, a source of biliverdin which is among the most
potent of all intra-cellular antioxidants.
Immunomodulatory Property: Spirulina is an effective immune
modulator. It exhibits anti inflammatory properties, in particularly by
inhibiting the release of histamine from mast cell with mediated allergic
reactions .It shows antioxidative and free radical scavenging properties. Spirulina
exposure enhances the phagocytic functions of macrophages in aquatic culture
animals. It also has antiviral and anticarcinogenic properties. It improves the
bacterial gut tract clearance potential of fish/shrimp and spirulina
supplements develops the phagocytic cell. The spirulina is safe
diet to use in terms of improved immune competence without
compromising the performing behaviors of aquatic culture animals. A novel
sulphate polysaccharide of spirulina inhibits the replication of several
enveloped viruses.
The nutrients of spirulina help to fight free
radicals, cell-damaging molecules absorbed by the body through pollution, poor
diet, injury, or stress. By removing free radicals, the nutrients help the
immune system fight cancer and cellular degeneration. Spirulina is a powerful
tonic for the immune system. This enzyme is a major source of super oxide in an
animal’s body, and is involved in dozens of degenerative processes involved in
disease resistance, aging and similar processes in fish ,shrimp and other
aquatic animals
Spirulina in
building red blood cells and stem cells : Spirulina is rich
in a brilliant blue polypeptide called Phycocyanin. Phycocyanin affects the
stem cells that make up the cellular immune system and red blood cells that
oxygenate the body. Phycocyanin stimulating hematopoiesis, (the creation of
blood), emulating the affect of the hormone erythropoetin, (EPO). Phycocyanin
also regulates production of white blood cells, even when bone marrow stem
cells are damaged by toxic chemicals or radiation
Spirulina
Anti-Viral and Anti-Cancer abilities: Calcium-Spirulan is a unique
polymerized sugar molecule extract of spirulina and containing both Sulfur and
Calcium. The treatment of this water soluble extract has better recovery rates
when infected with a lethal Herpes virus. This mechanism occurs because
Calcium-Spirulan does not allow the virus to penetrate the cell membrane to
infect the cell. The virus is stuck, unable to replicate. It is eventually
eliminated by the body's natural defenses. Spirulina can prevent or inhibit
cancers in aquatic animals, and fishes. The unique polysaccharides of spirulina
enhance cell nucleus enzyme activity and DNA repair synthesis.
Antimicrobial
Property : Spirulina excretes variable quantities of products from its metabolism
such as organic acid, vitamins and phytohormones. Cell extract of spirulina has
shown antimicrobial activities against pathogenic bacteria as like Bacillus
sps, Streptococcus sps, Saccharomyces sps etc.
Bio-mineralization
activities : Spirulina thrives in high alkaline waters and it
incorporates & synthesizes many minerals and derivative compounds into its
cell structure. Transformed into natural organic forms by Spirulina, minerals
become chelated with amino acids and they are more easily assimilated by the
body. Along with adequate calcium and magnesium in the water
(especially for marine organisms), Spirulina helps insure proper electrolyte
function, calcium levels over calcium and other mineral.
Enhance the Reproduction
activity: Research has shown that fresh and saltwater fish and shrimp exhibit
superior growth, maturity, energetic behavior, and more elegant coloring when
fed spirulina. It is also well documented that spirulina improves spawning,
fecundity, fertility and hatching rates. It stimulates the reproductive
processes, increases survival rates of younger fish, post larvae and promotes
the appetite of fish/prawn to attain full mature .
Spirulina as a
colourant : The color appearance is the most important characteristic in case
of shrimps and fishes for choice & demand in food market.
Spirulina diet promotes the physiological activities for generating the color
pigmentations and glazing appearance in various parts of body. Carotenoids are
responsible for the development of various colours of crustaceans (Britton et al., 1981). Astaxanthin has been shown to be the predominant carotenoid
associated with the red body colour of the black tiger prawn Penaeus monodon(Howell and Matthews, 1991).
Spirulina platensis & pacifica stain contains the
highest levels of β-carotene and zeaxanthin of any natural source .They both
are converted to astaxanthin through an oxidative process for the desire red
pigment. A marked increase in carotenoid content of the carapace of black tiger
shrimp (Penaeus monodon) occurred when
spirulina-supplemented diets are given. A practical strategy for the improved
pigmentation of cultured P. monodon is the
incorporation of spirulina diet for one month before harvest.
Conclusions
As natural resources feed, Spirulina play an
important role in aquaculture. Especially in the aquatic farming and hatchery
etc, the results are quite significant. If spirulina feed further improves to
the microcapsules, help digestion, and promote the shell development and its
effect are more obvious. The prospects of Spirulina will be very bright in the
feed applications. Spirulina appears to have considerable potential for
development, especially as a small-scale crop for nutritional enhancement,
livelihood development and environmental mitigation. Spirulina is widely used
in aquaculture and it can promote the growth of cultured species, increase
appetite, increase disease resistance, and increase the survival rate of larvae
in aquaculture, and it’s breeding fast and easy to cultivate.
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