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Feature heading: Essential Oils

Feature title: The benefits of oregano essential oil for aquaculture production
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Essential Oil
The benefits of
oregano essential oil
for aquaculture production
by Justin Tan Yu-Wen, DVM
T
he use of phytobiotic
feed additives in aqua-
culture has gained a
steady increase since
restrictions were implemented
on the use of in-feed antibiotic
growth promoters in the livestock
industry.
Due to increasing demand for high
quality protein sources, we have witnessed
a rapid growth of the fin-fish and shrimp
farming industries, where typical production
involves high-density stocking rates at both
hatchery and grow-out stages.
Due to its highly intensive nature,
fin-fish and shrimp farming today are
plagued by diseases affecting productiv-
ity and survival rates. Various strategies
have been devised and implemented to
improve growth rates while preventing
and controlling incidences of disease and
pathogen levels.
Besides the development of new vac-
cines and improved water management
techniques, the use of feed additives such
as phytobiotics and essential oils are
now widely accepted for their ability to
improve growth rates through notable
beneficial effects on intestinal health.
16 | InternatIonal AquAFeed | July-august 09
Essential Oil
Oregano essential oil, with its renowned profit of €8.60 in return on
antimicrobial and antioxidant properties, top of usual profits, due to
is a good potential alternative to growth the additional increase in
promoters in this respect. liveweight gain.
Jintasataporn et al.
Time to go natural (2007a) conducted a
Meriden Animal Health Limited (UK) 12-week trial using
produces a unique feed additive called Orego-Stim® Aquatract,
Orego-Stim® Aquatract, which contains demonstrating its positive
oregano essential oil.
Various studies have shown that Orego-
effects on the growth per-
formance of hybrid catfish
Stim® Aquatract can improve growth per- (Clarias macrocephalus x
formance and feed conversion efficiency, Clarias gariepinus). Results
Figure 2: Growth performance: Average weight
while greatly reducing the occurrence of showed that fish fed with gain (g) of rainbow trout (Source: Meriden Animal
disease. This ultimately leads to an increase Orego-Stim® Aquatract Health Ltd. Research & Technical Report, 2007)
in profitability compared to conventional had a higher body weight
aquaculture rearing systems. compared to both posi-
The matrix of active components of tive and negative control
pure oregano essential oil found in Orego- groups, with a significant
Stim® Aquatract have been shown to be increase in body weight by
highly effective against both gram-positive 10.7% and 11.7% respec-
and gram-negative pathogenic bacteria tively (see Figure 4).
(Stiles et al., 1995; Sivropoulou et al., 1996) A more efficient feed
but has little or no effect on beneficial conversion ratio was also
bacteria that make up the majority of the observed in the Orego-
intestinal microbiota (Di Pasqua et al., 2005; Stim® Aquatract group,
Jintasataporn et al., 2007). which was 6.38% and
Oregano essential oil was compared with 4.96% lower than both
many other known botanical essential oils positive and negative con-
The passing of the stances that showed promise and offered
and its antibacterial properties were tested trol groups respectively
era of AGPs potential as replacements.
against three common species of pathogenic (see Figure 5).”
Figure 3: Growth performance: Feed conversion ratio of
Antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) The intestinal microbiota of aqua species rainbow trout (Source: Meriden Animal Health Ltd. Research
should not be ignored in relation to their bacteria. In this study, oregano essential oil Orego-Stim® & Technical Report, 2007)
have played a fundamental role in aqua-
performance. was found to be the most effective in the Aquatract also revealed
culture production throughout the last
Although fin-fish and shrimp have only inhibition of these pathogens (see Figure 1). contrasting antimicrobial
50 years. These are thought to act on the
marginal nutritional benefits from intestinal activity against pathogenic
intestinal microbiota, leading to improved
microbiota compared to other terricolous The use of Orego- and beneficial bacteria
animal growth and performance.
animals such as ruminant and non-ruminant Stim® Aquatract in (Jintasataporn et al.,
However, we have seen a trend in the
herbivores, the microbiota can adversely fin-fish production 2007a). Contrary to a
last decade, where an extensive search
affect the resilience of the host if not A commercial trial was conducted by a common misconception
for alternatives to these feed additives has
properly controlled. It has now become reputable international aquafeed producer that Orego-Stim® may
taken place. This paradigm shift is chiefly
evident that controlling the microbiota from Denmark that produces rainbow also inhibit the growth
due to public concerns related to their
could positively influence growth rates and trout feed. of beneficial bacteria, this
residues in meat and the subsequent occur-
immune status. Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) study proved otherwise.
rence of anti-
were fed with either standard control feed The following results Figure 4: Growth performance: Weight (g/fish) (Source:
biotic-resistant Jintasataporn et al., 2007a)
or a similar feed containing Orego-Stim® show that Orego-Stim®
bacteria. Feed
Aquatract at 550ppm. The length of the Aquatract was able to
additive manu-
trial was 49 days and the fish were reared increase the numbers of
facturers and
in a Danish trout farm using a flow-through lactic acid producing bac-
feed producers
system, with water temperatures of 9.4°C. teria such as Lactobacillus
have invested
Results revealed that trout fed with feed spp. in the gastrointesti-
a considerable
containing Orego-Stim® Aquatract showed nal microbiota by up to
amount of time,
improvements in average weight gain by 62.5% compared to the
money and
9.4 percent (see Figure 2), total weight gain negative control group,
resources to
by 14.9 percent and feed efficiency by 3.2 whilst reducing popula-
investigate and
Figure 1: Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations of various percent (see Figure 3). tions of pathogens such
conduct exten-
botanical essential oils against 3 types of common This ultimately resulted in a Return-On- as Aeromonas spp., a bac-
sive research on microorganisms (Source: Hammer et al., 1999)
Investment (ROI) ratio of 8.6 : 1, which meant terial species that com-
various ingre-
that for every €1 they spent on Orego- monly affects freshwater Figure 5: Growth performance: Feed Conversion
dients and sub-
Stim® Aquatract, they gained an additional fish (see Figure 6). Ratio (Source: Jintasataporn et al., 2007a)
July-august 09 | InternatIonal AquAFeed | 17
 Essential Oil
The use of
Orego-Stim®
Aquatract in
shrimp production
Improvements in feed
conversion efficiency and
survival rates were also
reported in shrimps.
A four-month com-
mercial trial conducted
in Ecuador demonstrated
improvements in feed
conversion by 19.8 per-
Figure 6: Effect of Orego-Stim® on Bacterial Count
cent (see Figure 7) and
(Source: Jintasataporn et al., 2007a)
survival rates by 6.5
percent (see Figure 8)
by adding Orego-Stim®
Aquatract to the diet of
shrimps, compared to the
control group, which were
fed the same diet but
without the inclusion of
Orego-Stim® Aquatract.
The results clearly indi-
cated how Orego-Stim®
Aquatract could improve
shrimp farming produc-
Figure 7: Shrimp production: Feed Conversion Ratio tion systems compared
(Source: Merchan, 2005) to conventional rearing
systems (Merchan, 2005).
Jintasataporn et al.
(2007b) also conducted a
three-month trial in white
shrimps (Litopenaeus van-
namei) and discovered
that by using Orego-Stim®
Aquatract at 1000ppm, the
prophenoloxidase activ-
ity was increased by 170
percent (or 2.7 times) and
69 percent (or 1.7 times)
higher than that of the
Figure 8: Shrimp production: Survivability (%)
control and enrofloxacin
(Source: Merchan, 2005)
groups respectively (see
Figure 9).
The prophenoloxidase-
activating system is a major
innate defense mechanism
of invertebrates and
prophenoloxidase activ-
ity is a good indicator of
shrimp immunity.
Further evaluation
was carried out to deter-
mine the relationship
between the increased
prophenoloxidase activity
Figure 9: Shrimp immunity: Prophenoloxidase
Activity (Source: Jintasataporn et al., 2007b) and disease resistance in
18 | InternatIonal AquAFeed | July-august 09
shrimp. The shrimps were subjected to
virulent Vibrio harveyi challenge after
the initial three-month growth promo-
tion trial.
Results showed that Orego-Stim®
Aquatract had a protective effect on
the shrimp, resulting in a significantly
lower mortality rate of 36.67 percent
in comparison with the negative control
group and the enrofloxacin group, which
had mortality rates of 56.67 percent and
53.33 percent respectively (see Figure
10).
Similar and corresponding to the
aforementioned catfish trial, higher levels
of oregano essential oil, albeit being
a potent antibacterial agent, did not
exert detrimental effects on lactic acid
producing bacteria such as Lactobacillus
spp. although on the other hand, bacte-
rial load and Vibrio spp. counts were
markedly reduced in the Orego-Stim®
Aquatract 2000ppm group compared to
the negative control and enrofloxacin
groups (see Figure 11).
This finding clearly explains the
increased survivability rate in shrimps
with the use of the higher inclusion rates
of Orego-Stim® Aquatract during critical
periods and times of stress and disease
challenge.
Conclusion
The use of Orego-Stim® Aquatract
has been proven to be effective in
enhancing growth performance, improv-
ing the immune status and preventing the
occurrence of diseases in both fin-fish
and shrimps.
However, it must be noted that not
all phytobiotics offer the same ben-
efits or efficacy in terms of results and
productivity.
Due to the differences that can be
found in the levels and ratios of active
chemical constituents of the many,
diverse plant extracts, the variance in
bioavailability and bioactivity of these
active components may result in differing
performances from those reported (Jin
et al., 2008).
As there are more than 30 different
active components that are naturally
found in pure oregano essential oil, it is
highly likely that these other minor con-
stituents play an important role in the
efficacy of Orego-Stim® Aquatract, as
there is evidence that the antimicrobial
Essential Oil
essential oils from Mediterranean 1996, J. Agrc. Food Chem., Vol. 44, pp. 1202-
Apiaceae, Verbenaceae and 1205.
Lamiaceae against foodborne
Stiles, J.C., Sparks, W. & Ronzio, R. A., 1995, J.
pathogens and spoilage bacteria,’
Annals of Microbiol., Vol. 55(2),
Appl. Nutr., Vol. 47, pp. 96-102.
pp. 139-143. Strand, M.R., 2008, ‘The insect cellular innate
response’. Insect Science, Vol. 15, pp. 1-14.
Hammer, K.A.,
Carson, C.F. &
Riley, T.V., 1999,
‘Antimicrobial
activity of
essential oils
Figure 10: Shrimp immunity: Mortality rate upon and other plant
disease challenge with Vibrio harveyi (Source:
extracts,’ J.
Jintasataporn et al., 2007b)
Appl. Microb.,
Vol. 86, pp.
985-990.
Jin, L.Z. & Lan,
G.Q., 2008, Fin Fish and Shrimp
‘The research
application of Improves FCR
plant extract Increases bodyweight gain
feed additives Boosts immunity
in swine Increases survival rates
production’,
Reduces feed costs
Chinese Swine
Figure 11: Shrimp immunity: Bacterial Count (cfu
Production
Magazine,
= Higher returns
log10/g) (Source: Jintasataporn et. al., 2007b)
Vol. 3.
Jintasataporn,
activity of whole, unadulterated oregano O., Areechon, N., Ritchai, N. &
essential oil is greater than the additive Tonedial, C., 2007a, ‘The effect
effect of its major antimicrobial com- of Orego-Stim® in Catfish’,
Unpublished Data, Kasetsart
ponents (Lattaoui and Tantaoui-Elaraki,
University, Thailand.
1994).
It is also crucial to note that commer- Jintasataporn, O., Areechon,
cially available ‘nature identical’ versions N., Ritchai & N., Tonedial, C.,
of oregano essential oil require a degree 2007b, ‘The effect of Orego-
of purity of not less than 99.5 percent Stim® in White Shrimp
Litopenaeus vannamei’,
in order to comply with food legislation
Unpublished Data, Kasetsart
(Ariza-Nieto, 2005).
University, Thailand.
Any degree of purity that is less than
this would not be deemed suitable for Lattaoui, N., & A. Tantaoui-
entry into the human food chain. Elaraki, 1994. ‘Individual and
Therefore, it is crucial for nutrition- combined antibacterial activity
of the main constituents of
100% Natural Additive
ists and feed producers to consider for inclusion in the feed
three essential oils.’ EPPOS,
these facts when choosing from a range
Vol. 3, pp. 13-19.
of phytobiotic or essential oil feed addi-
tives for improving aquaculture produc- Merchan, R., 2005, ‘Effects
tion, to ensure compliance with standard of Orego-Stim in Shrimp
Production: Ecuador Study’,
food safety regulations on a global scale.
Unpublished Data, Merchan &
Fontana Company, Ecuador. Cranfield Innovation Centre, University Way,
References: Cranfield Technology Park, Cranfield UK MK43 0BT
Te l: +44 (0)1234 436130
Meriden Animal Health
Ariza-Nieto, C.J., 2005, ‘Evaluation of Oregano Fax: +44 (0)1234 436131
Limited Research & Technical
(Origanum vulgare) Essential Oil in Swine Report, 2007, Unpublished Web: www.meriden-ah.com
Production System’, Doctoral Thesis, University www.orego-stim.com
data, United Kingdom
Email: sales@meriden-ah.com
of Minnesota, United States of America.
Sivropoulou, A., Papanikolaou,
Di Pasqua, R., De Feo, V., Villani, F. & Mauriello, E., Nikolaou, C., Kokkini, S.,
HEALTHY ANIMALS - HEALTHY PEOPLE - NATURALLY
G., 2005. ‘In vitro antimicrobial activity of Lanara, T. & Arsenakis, M.,
July-august 09 | InternatIonal AquAFeed | 19
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