Graphical AbstractThe immunostimulatory effects of commercial feed additives on growth performance, non-specific immune response, antioxidants assay, and intestinal morphometry of Nile tilapia, O. niloticus.
Fish is a relatively cheap and accessible source of animal protein for human consumption even in rural communities. It is critical for global food and nutrition security, and its consumption continues to increase. As a highly nutritious food, fish consumption is highly recommended for children and expectant mothers for normal growth and development. The present paper explores the nutritional value of fish as approach to nutrition in children and its benefits. The findings reveal that fish is a valuable source of essential amino acids (EAA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) that play important physiological functions for maintenance and development of fetuses, neonates, and infant brains. Therefore, it could be a valuable tool in the fight against food insecurity and malnutrition. However, fish and fish products are also highly susceptible to contamination by various organic and inorganic compounds that threaten public health. Particularly, heavy metals and biogenic amines (BAs) have shown adverse effects when contaminated fish is consumed, and the effects in children have been worse. Hence, while fish consumption is highly recommended for children's nutrition, the safety and quality of the product should always be checked to safeguard public health.
Selenium (Se) is an important micronutrient that has been used in aquafeeds for the normal growth, welfare and health of aquatic animals. Through nanotechnology, Se can be converted into nanoparticles that are more bioavailable, utilized and absorbed by aquatic animals. However, this is still a new and emerging area of research in aquafeeds. This paper aims to review the effect of Se and Se nanoparticles (Se-NPs) application in aquafeeds on aquatic animals. Specifically, different compounds of Se, requirement levels by different species, effects on animal growth, physiology, antioxidant capacity and immune response have been highlighted. The review shows that the application of Se in aquafeeds could improve the growth performance, physiology, antioxidant enzymes, immunity and disease resistance in aquatic animals. However, the effectiveness could be highly influenced by the source of Se, aquaculture species and administration quantity. Through nanotechnology, the utilization and absorption of Se could be improved while reducing its toxicity. Therefore, Se-NPs present an efficient way to utilize nutrients in aquafeeds. Important gaps, however, exist in the current knowledge, particularly with regard to the response of shrimps and crustaceans to dietary supplementation of Se and Se-NPs as most of the existing studies have focused on fish species. Also, some species of economic importance and life stages have not been investigated, which hinders the embracement of nanotechnology in aquafeeds production.
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