Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is an essential dietary ingredient for fish, prawn and shrimp. Fish, prawn and shrimp are unable to biosynthesize Vitamin C. Vitamin C is essential in prawn and shrimp for disease resistance, rapid growth, high survival and moulting.
Vitamin C has also been linked to improving immune response, hormone production, mineral absorption and metabolism, and plays an important role in shell development and protein metabolism of prawn and shrimp. Vitamin C has also been shown to help detoxification of toxins, chemicals, pesticides and drugs.
One of the important functions of ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) is in the collagen synthesis, which is an important aspect in muscle development of fish prawn and shrimp.
In prawn and shrimp, Vitamin C has also been reported to influence the alkaline phosphatase activity during the synthesis of chitin and sclerotization of the epicuticle.
Deficiency symptoms of Vitamin C
Fish:
Anorexia, Poor and reduced growth, impaired wound healing, Scoliosis (Bone deformity lateral) Lordosis (Bone deformity vertical), impaired function of collagen; abnormal cartilage; eye lesions; Haemorrhagic skin, liver, kidney, intestine and muscle and increased susceptibility to pathogenic bacterial infection and reduced absorption of calcium from surrounding water. Deficiency of ascorbic acid in the diet results in metabolic disorders leading to diseases.
Prawn and Shrimp:
Deficiency of ascorbic acid in the diet of prawn and shrimp results in reduced feed intake, poor conversion of food and protein, high incidence of post-molt deaths, dystrophy of muscle and hepatopancreas, blackening of gills and in extreme cases black death disease, whitened or blackened lesions and high rates of mortality.
In prawn and shrimp vitamin C deficiency led to the inhibition of alkaline phosphatase activity resulting in poor chitin synthesis and sclerotization of the epicuticle.
Dosage and usage:
The requirement for ascorbic acid is related to stress, growth rate and size of fish, prawn and shrimp as well as to the other nutrients present in the diet.
AscoSol-C is a concentrated and stable form of Vitamin C and has to be used at 0.5 to 2.0 grams per kg of feed regularly for getting good results.
or as advised by Aquaculture consultant.
Composition:
Each gram of AscoSol-C Contains:
Ascorbic Acid (Coated Vitamin C) .... 500 mg
Presentation: 100 gm, 500 gm and 1.0 kg HDPE containers.
For use in Aquaculture Industry (Including Academic and Research Institutions & Universities etc)