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Aquaculture: Vitamin K
Requirements

Table 1 lists vitamin K requirements for various species.

The commonly used form of vitamin K, menadione sodium bisulfite complex, is relatively stable in multivitamin premixes if protected from choline, trace elements, heat, moisture, and light. After three months of storage, only 46% of the original menadione remained in a vitamin premix containing choline and trace minerals (Anonymous, 1998). Apart from its high water solubility, studies have reported losses of up to 90% of vitamin K activity (type not specified) during extrusion of fish feed (Haaland et al., 1993).
Table 1

Bacterial synthesis in the intestinal tract allows some animals not to need supplemental vitamin K. This may be the case in warmwater fishes, such as pond-reared catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) (Murai and Andrews, 1977). In coldwater fishes, like salmonids, bacterial synthesis if present (Margolis, 1953) may not be adequate (Poston, 1964). In addition, dietary factors may increase the need for supplementation, as in the case of aflatoxicosis in channel catfish (Halver, 1985).

Feeding rainbow trout a diet containing 12 mg vitamin K3 and 200 or 2,000 IU of vitamin E per kg resulted in reduced fillet vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) concentration when compared with a diet containing 20 IU of vitamin E per kg. However, no reduction in prothrombin time was detected (Gessl et al., 1995).

 
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