Efeito da reticulação do alginato de sódio na produção de rações para pescado

Abstract

One of the challenges of aquaculture is to develop efficient technology packages for different species with zootechnical potential. Several researchers have been studying the stability of macrodietes in water, since leaching processes happen quickly, causing nutrients to be released into the water, leading to pellet disaggregation and, consequently, decreasing the availability of capture of farmed animals. The objective of this work was to show the effect of the sodium alginate crosslinking process, as well as to evaluate the influence of this step on the resistance of commercial feed to leaching processes. The coating was performed by immersing the commercial feed pellets in a sodium alginate solution, followed by the crosslinking process in calcium chloride solution. The methodology employed in pellet coating proved to be very efficient and easy to apply. Determinations of nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations in water samples decreased for treatments using coated commercial diets, this factor may lead to the maintenance of physical chemical parameters of water quality. The proposed methodology may be an alternative in the production of feed aiming at a greater stability of the pellets and water of the farming system.