# Comparison of Dietary Inorganic and Small-Peptide Chelating Trace Minerals on Growth Performance, Immunity, Meat Quality, and Environmental Release in Litopenaeus vannamei

## TL;DR

This study shows that replacing inorganic minerals with small-peptide chelating minerals in shrimp diets improves health and meat quality without harming growth.

## Contribution

The study demonstrates that replacing 40–50% of inorganic trace minerals with small-peptide chelating minerals enhances shrimp physiology and reduces environmental impact.

## Key findings

- Replacing 40–50% of inorganic trace minerals with SPMs improved antioxidant capacity and meat quality in shrimp.
- SPM replacement reduced fecal excretion of trace minerals and improved physiological functions without affecting growth performance.
- SPM incorporation at 40–50% levels led to better moisture retention and lower drip loss in shrimp meat.

## Abstract

ITMs, in their traditional form, exhibit suboptimal stability and low biological potency. Prolonged use of ITMs can result in Litopenaeus vannamei stress, significant environmental degradation, and potential food safety concerns. In contrast, SPMs boast a number of advantageous properties. SPMs possess a stable structure, high biological potency, rapid absorption, reduced mineral excretion, and an array of additional benefits. The incorporation of 50% SPM led to substantial enhancements in antioxidant capacity, meat quality, body coloration, and a reduction in fecal excretion of trace minerals in Litopenaeus vannamei. These findings suggest that SPMs can effectively replace ITMs at 40–50% levels in Litopenaeus vannamei diets, maintaining growth performance while enhancing physiological functions and reducing environmental impact.

The present study evaluated the effect of adding 0% (control), 30%, 40% and 50% SPMs (small-peptide chelating trace minerals) to replace ITMs (inorganic trace minerals) in the diets of Litopenaeus vannamei; 720 shrimp were randomly assigned to four treatments (six replicates per group, 30 shrimp per replicate) in a 42-day feeding trial. There were no significant differences (p > 0.05) among the control, 40% SPM and 50% SPM groups in terms of the survival rate, weight gain rate, specific growth rate, hepatosomatic index, condition factor, feed intake, feed conversion ratio, or protein efficiency ratio; however, protein efficiency ratio was reduced in the 30% SPM group (p < 0.05). Glucose, triglyceride, and aspartate aminotransferase levels in the hemolymph of the 30% SPM group were significantly increased (p < 0.05), while the glucose and aspartate aminotransferase levels were also significantly increased in the 40% SPM group (p < 0.05). In the 50% SPM group, the glucose and triglyceride levels were also significantly increased (p < 0.05). Hepatopancreatic alkaline phosphatase activity was elevated at 40% SPM, and alkaline phosphatase, acid phosphatase, glutathione peroxidase, and total antioxidant capacity activities were significantly increased in the 50% SPM group (p < 0.05). The moisture content and drip loss were reduced in both the 40% and 50% SPM groups (p < 0.05). Therefore, replacing 40–50% ITMs with SPMs can maintain growth performance while enhancing physiological functions. In conclusion, the results of this study demonstrate that the incorporation of 30–50% SPMs into one’s diet constitutes a viable alternative to 100% ITMs.