Walking with the Masters: Suan Seeks Wisdom in Fishing

Acid Can Help: A Side Note from the Second A+ Aquafeed Summit

Peak discussions boost the fishing industry, as sails are hoisted on the azure sea to pursue grand ambitions! From December 11 to 13, 2024, hosted by A ⁺ The Second A, hosted by the Science and Technology Steering Committee of the Aquatic Feed Summit Forum and organized by the Shenzhen Research Institute of Ocean University of China ⁺ The Aquafeed Summit was successfully held in Shenzhen. Centered on the theme “Research and Development and Precision Application of Functional Additives in Low-Fishmeal and Low-Fish-Oil Feed Formulations,” the forum brought together renowned experts and scholars, leading enterprises, and innovative teams from across the industry—including academician teams led by academicians such as Ma Kangsen and Xue Changhu, experts from national key R&D projects under the 14th Five-Year Plan focused on aquafeeds, and core technical specialists from China’s top aquafeed companies. Covering every stage of aquafeed production—from raw materials and additives to formulation technology, processing techniques, equipment, and management—the event provided a platform for discussing the latest research findings, technological innovations, and market trends in the aquafeed sector. The summit featured a steady stream of new theories, technologies, and methodologies, truly bringing together the brightest minds in the field. Guangdong nuacid Biotechnology Co., Ltd. showcased three flagship aquaculture-specific products at this year’s summit, helping to foster new, high-quality productivity in the aquaculture feed sector. This marks the debut of acid-based formulations at the Aquaculture Summit, an honor we deeply cherish.

China is the world’s largest producer of aquaculture products and aquatic feed. Consequently, as the aquaculture industry expands, demand for fishmeal continues to rise, yet domestic production falls far short of meeting the needs of the feed industry. Owing to its excellent digestibility and nutrient profile, fishmeal serves as an outstanding animal‑protein ingredient for balancing protein and amino acids, and it also provides a valuable source of minerals, particularly trace elements. As such, fishmeal is the most critical protein source in aquatic feeds. However, given China’s shortage of high‑quality protein ingredients and its heavy reliance on imported fishmeal—coupled with steadily increasing prices—the development and application of low‑fishmeal aquatic feeds have become a major focus and a key objective for the aquafeed industry.

Improving health and production performance is the primary goal for achieving profitability in aquaculture. However, formulating diets with reduced fishmeal inevitably requires the inclusion of substantial non‑fishmeal protein sources. Compared with fishmeal, these alternative protein sources often exhibit certain nutritional shortcomings, such as imbalanced amino acid profiles and other nutrient ratios, lower digestibility, higher levels of antinutritional factors, and poor palatability. Consequently, these issues can lead to aquaculture challenges, including hepatopancreatic syndrome, intestinal damage, and reduced growth performance in aquatic animals.

Do aquaculture species require acids? In aquaculture, acids serve as potential performance enhancers, primarily improving growth, lowering gastrointestinal pH, inhibiting and eliminating harmful bacteria without affecting beneficial ones, restoring intestinal microecological balance, and increasing nutrient digestibility. Today, to support the sustainable development of aquaculture, a major trend toward feed formulations with reduced fishmeal and fish oil is unavoidable. However, functional additives are still needed for nutritional regulation to facilitate the use of lower‑fishmeal, lower‑fish‑oil diets. This is precisely why this forum is themed “Research and Development and Precise Application of Functional Additives in Low‑Fishmeal, Low‑Fish‑Oil Feed Formulations,” and it also underpins the unique physiological roles that acid preparations and other functional additives can play. Saneng Company’s three acid-based formulations for aquaculture—YuSuanSuan, TaiSuan, and FuSuanBao—can address digestive and pathogen issues in low‑fishmeal, low‑fishoil feed formulations, significantly improving aquaculture efficiency. Academician Ma Kangsen visited Saneng’s booth, received reports on the research, development, production, and applications of these three products, and offered high praise.

The nuacid Innovation Center (NIC), grounded in Lewis acid–base electronic theory, has expanded antiviral research to the molecular and electronic levels. Using molecular dynamics simulations, it screened specific Lewis acids—such as medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) and flavonoids—and developed an antiviral acid called “Tai Acid.” Tai Acid can seize electrons from critical active protein structures of viruses and bind tightly to them, altering their original biological activity and thereby exerting antiviral effects. Through collaboration with the Guangdong Academy of Agricultural Sciences, in vitro experiments demonstrated that Tai Acid inhibits fish iridoviruses by 63%, compared to only 20%–35% for similar market products. Furthermore, based on customer feedback this year, Tai Acid shows excellent efficacy in preventing and controlling microsporidian disease in shrimp. Extensive field evidence indicates that, compared with controls, shrimp fed Tai Acid avoid microsporidian infection, resolve white feces, regain vitality and feed intake, and exhibit accelerated growth.

Summary

 

Improving quality and efficiency while increasing resource availability are the advanced goals for feed nutrition over the next decade. Acidifiers play a crucial role in enhancing feed quality and improving raw material utilization; particularly in aquaculture feeds featuring diversified formulations with reduced fishmeal and fish oil, they can effectively boost feed conversion ratios and inhibit pathogenic bacteria, thereby supporting the goal of efficient farming. Meanwhile, research on acidifiers is expanding beyond simple digestion inhibition and antibacterial effects to encompass additional functions such as antioxidant and antiviral activities.

As a leading company in acid preparation technology, nuacid bears an inescapable responsibility to assume an even more prominent role in future research and development, spearheading innovation and application in this field. Leveraging this high-level forum, nuacid has joined forces with industry experts to explore aquaculture practices and conduct in-depth research, with the hope that acid preparations will continue to deliver ever more exciting advances for the future of the aquaculture sector.

Written by: Emperor Cheng

Review: Hu Youjun