Optimization of precision nutrition for aquaculture feed application

Modern aquaculture feeds are increasingly being driven toward a precision nutrition (PN) approach . This PN approach considers a range of critical criteria to enable effective formulation. These criteria include demands for energy, nutrients, and factors controlling feed intake. While those criteria underpin PN, applying the strategy necessitates further assessment of how ingredients are used to formulate such feeds, and increasingly new digital tools are being developed to enable further scrutiny of feed design and animal performance. In a PN approach diets are formulated according to digestible or even net energy and nutrient supply. For essential nutrients like amino acids and omega-3 fatty acids increasing precision is being applied based on species, animal size, environmental challenges, and health status, supported by new and more concentrated sources of essential nutrients. The increasing reliance on plant protein and oil sources is necessitating better control of feed palatability, driving a growth in the strategic use of various feed ingredients and additives in PN formulations. The capacity to use an increasing array of ingredients to support PN is underpinned by a more objective ingredient assessment framework and the increasing use of various digital tools to design feeds and assess their impacts.