NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENT FOR ANIMAL AND AQUACUTLURE DIET AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME

Abstract

A nutritional supplement is disclosed. The nutritional supplement may be included in a fish diet. The nutritional supplement may include a carrier oil; 22-30 wt. % Omega 3; and 8-20 wt. % Omega 7. In some embodiments, the carrier oil may be a vegetable oil. In some embodiments, the Omega 3 includes EPA and DHA fatty acids. In some embodiments, the Omega 3 includes is a mixture of EPA and DHA having ratios in the range of 1:10 to 10:1 wt. %.

Claims

1. A nutritional supplement, comprising: a carrier oil; 22-30 wt. % Omega 3; and 8-20 wt. % Omega 7.

2. The nutritional supplement of claim 1, wherein the carrier oil is a vegetable oil.

3. The nutritional supplement of claim 1, wherein the Omega 3 includes EPA and DHA fatty acids.

4. The nutritional supplement of claim 3, wherein the Omega 3 includes a mixture of EPA and DHA having ratios in the range of 1:10 to 10:1 wt. %.

5. A ready to use diet, comprising: 0.7-7.5 wt. % Omega 3; 2.0-7.7 wt. % Omega 7; and a mixture comprising protein, carbohydrate and oil.

6. The ready to use diet of claim 5, wherein the protein is 5-50 wt. % of the total weight of the ready to use diet.

7. The ready to use diet of claim 5, wherein the carbohydrate is 5-50 wt. % of the total weight of the ready to use diet.

8. The ready to use diet of claim 5, wherein the oil is 0.2-30 wt. % of the total weight of the ready to use diet.

9. The ready to use diet of claim 5, wherein the Omega 3 includes EPA and DHA fatty acids.

10. The ready to use diet of claim 5, wherein the carrier oil, comprises at least one of: fish oil and vegetable oil.

11. The ready to use diet of claim 5, wherein the proteins are originated from at least one of: Soy protein concentrate and animal byproducts.

12. A method of making a nutritional supplement, comprising: adding to a mixer, Omega 3 containing oil and Omega 7 containing oil; and mixing together the Omega 3 and Omega 7 containing oils.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein Omega 3 containing oil is at least one of: fish oil, Schizochytrium oil, GM Rapeseed oil and Anchovy oil.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein Omega 7 containing oil is sea Buckthorn oil.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the final amount of Omega 3 in the nutritional supplement is 0.22-30 wt. %.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the final amount of Omega 7 in the nutritional supplement is 8-20 wt. %.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] The subject matter regarded as the invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. The invention, however, both as to organization and method of operation, together with objects, features, and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following detailed description when read with the accompanying drawings in which:

[0009] FIG. 1 shows a flowchart of a method of making nutritional supplement according to some embodiments of the invention;

[0010] FIG. 2 is a graph showing feeding rates of juvenile salmons feed with standard a ready-to-use diet in comparison to feeding rates of juvenile salmons feed with a ready-to-use diet according to some embodiments of the invention.

[0011] It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration, elements shown in the figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements may be exaggerated relative to other elements for clarity. Further, where considered appropriate, reference numerals may be repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

[0012] In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the invention. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, and components have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the present invention.

[0013] Some aspects of the invention may be directed to providing and/or making nutritional supplement that can increase the immune-resilience of animals, in particular fish to skin diseases and skin parasites. Such a nutritional supplement may include relatively high amounts of Omega 3 and Omega 7 fatty acids. A nutritional supplement according to some embodiments of the invention may be included in a ready-to-eat diet.

[0014] Omega 3 is a known nutritional supplement in fish diets, although having a limited immune-resilience effect. In some embodiments, it was found that an addition of Omega 7 to a nutritional supplement including Omega 3, enhance the effect of the Omega 3 and further to add to the general wellbeing of the fish skin, thus may increase the resilience of the fish to sea lice as discussed herein below.

[0015] A nutritional supplement according to some embodiments of the invention may include 22-30 wt. % Omega 3 and 8-20 wt. % Omega 7 in a carrier oil. The oil may be any edible oil, that is edible by a specific animal or group of animals. For example, the oil can be a vegetable oil, a fish oil and the like.

[0016] In some embodiments, the Omega 3 may include any combination of EPA and DHA fatty acids. In some embodiments, the Omega 3 may include a mixture of EPA to DHA ratios ranging from 1:10 to 10:1.

[0017] In some embodiments, the nutritional supplement may be included in a ready-to-use diet. Such ready-to-use diet may include 0.7-7.5 wt. % Omega 3, 2.0-4.0 wt. % Omega 7 and a mixture comprising protein, carbohydrate and oil. In some embodiments, the Omega 3 may include any combination of EPA and DHA fatty acids.

[0018] In some embodiments, the protein is 5-50 wt. % of the total weight of the ready to use fish diet. In some embodiments, the protein may be originated from at least one of: soy protein concentrate and animal byproducts.

[0019] In some embodiments, the carbohydrate is 5-50 wt. % of the total weight of the ready to use fish diet. In some embodiments, the oil is 0.2-30 wt. % of the total weight of the ready to use fish diet. In some embodiments, the oil may include at least one of: fish oil and vegetable oil.

[0020] An example of a fish diet according to some embodiments of the invention is given in table 1.

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 a fish diet according to some embodiments of the invention Ingredient Wt % inclusion in diet Fish meal 35-5  Fish oil 12-0  Animal by-products 33-10 Corn gluten   7-1.4 Soy protein concentrate 35-7  Wheat gluten meal 4.7-0.9 Raw wheat 23-10 Vegetable oil 27-6  Omega 7 2-4 Omega 3 (EPA + DHA) 0.7-7.5

[0021] Reference is now made to FIG. 1 which is a flowchart of a method of making a nutritional supplement according to some embodiments of the invention. In step 110, Omega 3 containing oil and Omega 7 containing oil maybe added to a mixer. In some embodiments, the mixer may be any commercial mixer configured to mix oils, for example, the mixer may include mechanical stirrers, magnetic stirrers, ultrasonic stirrers and the like. Table 2 includes some examples for origins of Omega 3 containing oil and Omega 7 containing oil.

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 origins of Omega 3 containing oil and Omega 7 containing oil Source Wt. % Omega 7 WL % EPA and DHA Sea Buckthorn oil 30 0 Fish oil 0 30 Schizochytrium oil 0 50 GM Rapeseed oil 0 30 Anchovy oil 6 25 Nannochloropsis oil 11 22 (EPA only)

[0022] In some embodiments, the Omega 3 containing oil may include both DHA and EPA. In some embodiments, the method may include adding DHA to an EPA containing oil, for example, 50 wt. % DHA originated from Schizochytrium oil may be added to Nannochloropsis oil.

[0023] In step 120, the Omega 3 and Omega 7 containing oils may be mixed in the mixer. In some embodiments, the final amount of Omega 3 in the nutritional supplement may be 22-30 wt. %. In some embodiments, the final amount of Omega 7 in the nutritional supplement may be 8-20 wt. %.

EXAMPLES

Example 1

[0024] In some embodiments, mixing 100 g of Sea Buckthorn oil with 500 g of Anchovy oil yields 600 g of oil containing 57 g of Omega-7 and 150 g of Omega 3, which results in 11 wt. % Omega 7 and 25 wt. % Omega 3.

Example 2

[0025] In some embodiments, mixing 150 g of Sea Buckthorn oil with 300 g of fish oil yields 450 of oil containing 45 g of Omega-7 and 90 g of Omega 3, which results in 10 wt. % Omega 7 and 20 wt. % Omega 3.

Example 3

[0026] In some embodiments, mixing 100 g of GM rapeseed oil, containing 30 g Omega-3, with 100 g of Schizochytrium oil, containing 50 g Omega-3 and 100 g of Sea buckthorn oil, containing 30 g Omega-7, which results in 10 wt. % Omega-7 and 26.6 wt. % Omega-3.

Example 4

[0027] In some embodiments, mixing 100 g Nannochloropsis oil, containing 11 g of Omega-7 and 22 g of EPA Omega-3, with 30 g of Schizochytrium oil, containing 9 g of Omega-3, which results in 8.5 wt. % Omega-7 and 24 wt. % Omega-3

EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS

Experiment 1

[0028] The effect to adding both Omega 3 and Omega 7 to salmons' diet was studied. A nutritional supplement according to some embodiments of the invention was provided to salmons and compared to a first diet that includes Omega 3 and a second diet that did not include Omega 3 or Omega 7. Four 500-liter tanks having circular flow-through were used in this study, each was inhibited by 20 Atlantic Salmons. The temperature was 8.7° C. and the salinity 27.4 ppt. Each of the four tanks was provided with a different type of feed (e.g., diet).

[0029] The salmon in the first tank were fed with control, plant-based feed (denoted as [P]). The salmon in the second tank were fed with Omega 3 enriched diet (denoted as [P+O3]). The salmon in the third tank were fed with Omega 7 enriched diet (denoted as [P+O7]). The salmon in the fourth tanks were fed with a diet enriched with nutritional supplement according to some embodiments of the invention containing both Omega 3 and Omega 7 (denoted as [P+O3+O7]) form a combination of Schizochytrium and Nannochloropsis extract oils.

[0030] All the fish were first fed for 10 days with the control diet [P] and then each tank was provided with a different diet for additional 12 days. Fish from the four dietary groups were challenged with L. salmonis (50 copepodites per fish). Lice counting and sampling were done when majority of lice reached preadult stages (16-20 days after infection). During a sampling period of four days, number, stage and gender of lice on each fish were recorded. The average number of lice detected on the salmons in each tank is summarized in table 3.

TABLE-US-00003 number of lice deleted on a salmon in each tank Feed P P + O3 P + O7 P + O3 + O7 Sea lice per fish 34 ± 3 20 ± 5 29 ± 4 7 ± +2 (Ave ± STDV)

[0031] As may be evident from table 3 the use of the nutritional supplement according to some embodiments of the invention provides the best protection against sea lice and significantly enhanced (˜80%) infestation reduction. As can be seen the addition of Omega 3 provides limited protection form sea lice infection, in comparison to the combined effect of Omega 3 and Omega 7.

[0032] Oxylipins function not only as biological “repellants” but are actively involved in a wide range of functions on the skin, mucous and cellular levels. Their biological effects is mediated via interaction with receptors or intracellular effectors. Omega 7, active in skin and mucous membranes, enhances the efficiency and functionality of these receptors, thus enhancing the immune response and effectivity of Oxylipins. It is also noticed that the copepodites reacted to the fish by swimming fast towards them, and once attached “made their decision” weather to stay on the host fish or not. In the case of the different experimental groups their decision varied.

Experiment 2

[0033] The effect of a diet containing both Omega 3 and Omega 7, originated form algae oil, was tested on juvenile salmon smolts. When the salmon smolts reached mean weight of about 100 g they were put in six tanks having 1-meter diameter. 200 Juvenile salmon smolts inhibited each tank. The juvenile salmon smolts in 3 tanks were fed with a ready-to-eat diet according to some embodiments of the invention and in the other 3 thanks were fed with commercial Juvenile salmon smolts. Tables 4 and 5 summarizes the raw materials and nutrition content and values of each diet.

TABLE-US-00004 Raw material formulation of the diets as percentage (%) Control Algae Raw materials: diet oil diet Fishmeal 70 31.5 31.4 Fish oil 4.3 0.0 Rapeseed oil 17.2 14.1 Algae oil 0.0 8.4 Wheat 11.1 10.2 SPC 61 16.1 16.1 CGM61 4.0 4.0 SBM Hipro 48 10.0 10.0 VWG 82 0.2 0.2 Rapeseed meal 29/11 4.0 4.0 Premix—Laxá 1.0 1.0 Moncal-Phosphat 0.3 0.3 Panaferd colorant 0.3 0.3

TABLE-US-00005 Nutrient composition as gram per kg diet Control Algae Nutrients: diet oil diet Dry matter g/kg 420.0 420.0 Protein g/kg Fat g/kg 260.0 260.0 Ash g/kg 73.0 75.0 Fiber g/kg 19.0 19.0 DHA g/kg 7.3 2.7 EPA g/kg 6.2 24.3 Sum EPA and DHA g/kg 13.5 27.0

[0034] Reference is now made to FIG. 2 which shows the daily feeding rate of juvenile salmons fed with the control commercial diet (drack circles) in comparison to juvenile salmons fed with a diet according to embodiments of the invention. The initial daily feeding rate was lower for the salmons that were feed with algae enriched diet in comparison to the control diet. At later stages the feeding rate becomes similar for both feeds. This difference could be related to the fact that that the juvenile salmons had been fed normal salmon food in earlier stages prior to the experiment.

[0035] Prior to placing the salmons in the tanks 5 small fish and 5 larger fish were tested for fatty acid analysis of the flesh. Additional measurements were taken from each tank after 2 month of feeding and after 3 months of feeding. The results at the end of the process after 3 month of feeding are summarized in table 6.

TABLE-US-00006 Algae-feed Control feed Av. Tank Tank Tanks Tank Tank Tank Tank Av. Tanks % Composition 1 2 3 4 5 6 1-3 4-6 difference SFA 16.0 15.6 16.1 15.6 15.9 15.5 15.9 15.7 1% MUFA 51.7 51.5 51.4 53.2 52.8 52.7 51.5 52.9 −3% PUFA 31.2 31.4 31.2 30.2 30.4 30.3 31.3 30.3 3% unknown 1.1 1.5 1.2 1.0 0.9 1.4 1.3 1.1 12% EPA Omega 3 3.4 3.7 3.4 1.8 1.9 1.7 3.5 1.8 49% DHA Omega 3 8.1 7.4 7.9 7.6 7.9 6.9 7.8 7.5 4% Total Omega 3 17.8 17.7 17.7 15.0 15.5 14.6 17.7 15.0 15% Palmitoleic acid 4.7 4.8 4.8 2.4 2.4 2.4 4.8 2.4 49% (Omega 7) SFA = saturated fatty acids; MUFA = monounsaturated fatty acids; PUFA = polyunsaturated fatty acids; TFA = trans fatty acids; EPA = eicosapentaenoic acid; DPA = docosapentaenoic acid; DHA = docosahexaenoic acid; PA=Palmitoleic acid Omega 7 (C16:1n-7)

[0036] Table 6 the percentage of fatty acids of total fatty acids measured in fish flash of fish fed with diet according to embodiments of the invention and a control diet.

[0037] As can clearly shown from the table a major increase in the amount of fatty acid was detected in the salmon fed with the diet according to embodiments of the invention. More specifically a major increase was presented in the amounts of Omega 3 and Omega 7.

[0038] While certain features of the invention have been illustrated and described herein, many modifications, substitutions, changes, and equivalents will now occur to those of ordinary skill in the art. It is, therefore, to be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit of the invention. Further, features or elements of different embodiments may be used with or combined with other embodiments.