Effects of different dietary wheat starch levels on growth, feed efficiency and digestibility in grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella)

An experiment was conducted to determine the effect of dietary wheat starch on grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) in terms of growth performance, feed efficiency and digestibility. Five isoproteic (23.5%) and isolipidic (5.7%) diets with five supplemented levels of wheat starch (D20, D26, D33, D40 and D47 with 20, 26, 33, 40 and 47%, respectively) were fed to triplicate groups of grass carp (mean initial wet weight 6.9 ± 0.1 g) for 8 weeks. Results showed that weight gain (WG, %), feed efficiency (FE, %) and protein efficiency ratio (PER) in D20, D26 and D33 treatments were significantly higher than those in D40 and D47 treatments (P < 0.05). Digestibility of carbohydrate and protein was significantly higher in D20, D26 and D33. No significant differences were found in serum glucose and triglyceride contents between treatments. Serum lipase activity of fish fed D40 and D47 was significantly higher than that of fish fed other diets. Whole-body, muscle and liver lipid contents increased with dietary starch level as did mesenteric fat index, hepatosomatic index and viscerosomatic index. In conclusion, when dietary protein level was 23%, the level of dietary wheat starch should maximum be 33% to support normal growth of grass carp. Fish growth was hampered by higher wheat starch (>33%) despite fish ate increasing levels of dietary digestible energy. Furthermore, excess digestible carbohydrate was to some extent converted to lipid that was deposited in various tissues. Most importantly, grass carp could endure high levels of cellulose without any negative effect on growth and digestibilities of dietary protein and carbohydrate.