Fish farming presents itself as an excellent opportunity to satisfy the growing protein demand of humanity. However, intensification systems together with the limitation of water resources hinder the growth of fish farming. Environmental stressors complicate fish performance and can interfere with the immune system leading bad productive results or even mortality due to outbreak diseases.
Substances of botanical origin such as carotenoids, phenolic, alkaloids, nitrogenous and organosulfur compounds can act satisfactorily on the immune system, the microbiota, and the intestinal integrity. The development of nutraceutical products aimed at controlling the inflammatory response and the immune system is a priority objective that can successfully contribute to improving the health conditions of fish.
The present work shows a compendium of tests carried out on tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) in Nigeria, Mexico and Perú under experimental and industrial conditions. The results obtained show that it is possible to exert control on the immune and inflammatory response using botanicals incorporated in aquafeed.
The analytical determinations made in the trials show how the use of the proposed nutraceutical exerted a favourable effect on the immune and inflammatory response. The increase in lymphocytes before and after bacterial challenge, the greater activity of endogenous enzymes (CAT; SOD and GPX), the lower levels of cortisol and glucose and the lower blood levels of liver enzymes (ALT and AST) demonstrate that it is possible to satisfactorily influence on animal health and in particular liver health which directly influences the digestive process. Therefore, Nutraceuticals applied in aquafeed are interesting tools to improve productivity in fish farms.