Aquaculture feed.
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The Dutch-Swiss company dsm-firmenich Animal Nutrition & Health (ANH) announced that its feed supplement Hy-D®, 25-hydroxycolecalciferol (25-OH-D3), has received new authorization from the European Union for use in salmonids, other fish species, and all other animal species.
Produced from Saccharomyces cerevisiae CBS 146008, Hy-D® is an innovative vitamin D3 metabolite that promotes optimal levels of 25-OH-D3, providing comprehensive benefits for animal health and welfare, performance and productivity, as well as overall food quality.
As the company explains on its web, in the intricate world of fish metabolism, ensuring that dietary D3 is efficiently converted into its active form, calcitriol (1,25-OH-D3), is crucial for maintaining optimal physiological functions. This transformation typically occurs in the liver, both in fish and terrestrial species; however, challenges in this metabolic process can hinder fish health and growth.
Being a pure metabolite of vitamin D3, acknowledged as the most bioavailable form of vitamin D for fish, Hy-D® presentation in the form of 25-hydroxy-vitamin D3 ensures efficient absorption without necessitating hepatic processing, thereby enhancing its bioavailability.
Hy-D® absorption process without the need for liver processing.
Now, following confirmation by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) of the safety and efficacy of Hy-D® for all animal species—it was already authorized in the EU for pigs, poultry, and ruminants since 2024—as well as for consumers, users, and the environment, the feed supplement is now officially authorized for commercial use as a nutritional additive in aquafeed and in all animal feeds throughout the EU, expanding access for feed manufacturers, integrators, and livestock farmers starting tomorrow, December 31, 2025.
As highlighted by dsm-firmenich Animal Nutrition & Health, this approval represents a milestone for aquaculture in the European Union, as this is the first time that 25-hydroxycholecalciferol has been approved for use in salmonids and all aquatic species, marking a significant advance for the industry.
"EU authorization for Hy-D® represents a first-of-its-kind opportunity to bring real benefits to European aquaculture, which have already been seen in commercial aquaculture operations around the world. These include improvements in growth, immunity and enhanced product quality," stated Dr Benedict Standen, Head of Marketing for Aquaculture at dsm-firmenich ANH.
"This new EU authorization for Hy-D® is a significant milestone, underscoring its global relevance and reliability as a source of vitamin D for aquaculture and all animal species," dsm-firmenich ANH Head of Special Nutrients Emrah Mazi said, for his part.
"We are thrilled about the opportunities this brings for our customers across Europe and beyond, empowering them to advance animal health and performance with confidence," he concluded.