Dietary requirements for leucine,isoleucine and valine (branched‐chain amino acids) by juvenile red drum Sciaenops ocellatus

The objective of this study was to determine the minimum dietary requirements of the branched‐chain amino acids (BCAAs: leucine [Leu], isoleucine [Ile] and valine [Val]) for juvenile red drum, Sciaenops ocellatus. This was accomplished by conducting three independent 49‐day feeding trials with juvenile red drum. Experimental diets were prepared by supplementing a basal diet containing 370 g/kg crude protein from red drum muscle and crystalline amino acids with incremental levels of Leu (9.0, 13.0, 17.0, 21.0, 25.0 and 29.0 g/kg of dry diet), Ile (5.0, 8.0, 11.0, 14.0, 17.0 and 20.0 g/kg of dry diet) and Val (6.8, 8.0, 9.2, 10.4, 11.6, 12.8 and 14.0 g/kg of dry diet). Fish were fed to apparent satiation twice daily in each trial, after which growth performance parameters were calculated and body composition and concentrations of BCAAs in plasma were analysed. Incremental levels of dietary Leu, Ile and Val significantly affected weight gain, feed efficiency and protein retention. Analyses of the weight gain data using a broken‐line regression model estimated the minimum Leu, Ile and Val requirements for maximum growth of juvenile red drum to be 15.7 ± 1.7 g/kg (±95% confidence interval), 11.1 ± 2.3 g/kg and 12.4 ± 0.6 g/kg of dry diet, respectively.     

Effects of dietary L‐lysine supplementation on growth,body composition and muscle‐growth‐related gene expression with an estimation of lysine requirement of GIFT tilapia

An 8‐week feeding trial was conducted with extruded practical diets containing 320 g/kg of crude protein from plant‐based sources to determine the effects of L‐lysine on growth performances, muscle‐growth‐related gene (myoD, myogenine and myostatin) expression and haemato‐biochemical responses in juvenile genetically improved farmed tilapia (GIFT). Five isonitrogenous and isoenergetic diets were formulated to contain graded levels of lysine (14.3, 16, 17.5, 19 and 20.5 g/kg of diet). Each diet was randomly assigned to triplicate groups of 30 juvenile fish (5.2 ± 0.1 g), which were fed thrice a day (9:00, 13:00 and 17:00 hr). Maximum growth performances were observed in fish fed with lysine at 19 g/kg of diet. There was no significant (p > .05) effect on whole‐body composition and amino acids profile by dietary lysine supplementation. Significant (p < .05) changes were observed in relative expression of muscle‐growth‐related genes namely myoD and myogenine and in plasma metabolites by dietary lysine supplementation. In contrast, the relative expression of myostatin was not affected by dietary lysine supplementation. Broken‐line regression analysis and second‐order polynomial regression analysis of weight gain and N gain against dietary lysine levels showed that the dietary lysine requirement for juvenile GIFT tilapia was 18–18.3 g/kg of diet and 19.3–19.5 g/kg of diet, respectively.     

Growth performance,robustness against stress,serum insulin,IGF‐1 and GLUT4 gene expression of red tilapia (Oreochromis sp.) fed diet containing graded levels of creatine

The experimental diets containing five levels of creatine supplementation, namely control (N = 0 g/kg creatine), B1 (1.00 g/kg glycine), B2 (0.40 g/kg creatine), B3 (0.80 g/kg creatine) and B4 (1.20 g/kg creatine) were tested to red tilapia up to apparent satiation 3 times a day for 56 days. After the feeding trial, fish were stressed by air exposure for challenge test against stress. The results described that creatine supplementation improved final body weight, feed conversion ratio (FCR) and protein retention. Creatine supplementation decreased blood glucose, cholesterol and triglyceride levels (p < .05), indicating more effective usage of non‐protein energy. Furthermore, creatine supplementation also increased plasma insulin levels and upregulated IGF‐1 and GLUT4 gene expressions in the liver significantly; it also improved robustness against stress, which was shown by higher superoxide dismutase, higher postchallenge survival and plasma cortisol, malondialdehyde and lower glucose levels. In conclusion, creatine supplementation at a dose of 0.289–0.389 g/kg diet escalated fish growth and improved robustness against stress via improving the SOD activity in red tilapia.     

Dietary lysine requirement of juvenile Pseudobagrus ussuriensis

An 8‐week feeding trial was conducted to determine dietary lysine requirement of juvenile Pseudobagrus ussuriensis (initial body weight: 0.60 g). Six isonitrogenous (crude protein, 400 g/kg) and isolipidic (crude lipid, 50 g/kg) diets were formulated to contain graded levels of dietary lysine (12.8, 19.9, 26.5, 34.0, 40.8 and 44.1 g/kg dry diets, respectively). The results indicated that weight gain, specific growth rate, productive protein value and protein efficiency ratio increased, while feed conversion ratio decreased with increasing dietary lysine level up to 34.0 g/kg dry diet and then levelled off. Fish fed diet with 12.8 g/kg lysine had the lowest lysine content (58.6 g/kg dry matter) in muscle, while fish fed diet with 34.0 g/kg lysine had the highest value (61.6 g/kg dry matter; p < .05). Broken‐line analysis on the basis of weight gain showed that the optimal dietary lysine requirement for maximum growth of juvenile Pseudobagras ussuriensis is 33.5 g/kg dry diet (82.4 g/kg dietary protein). Quadratic regression analysis of protein efficiency ratio against dietary lysine levels indicated that the optimal dietary lysine requirement of juvenile Pseudobagras ussuriensis is 36.4 g/kg dry diet (89.5 g/kg dietary protein).     

Dietary nucleotide‐rich yeast supplementation improves growth,innate immunity and intestinal morphology of Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei)

An 8‐week feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary nucleotide (NT)‐rich yeast supplementation on growth, innate immunity and intestinal morphology in Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei). Four isonitrogenous and isolipidic practical diets were formulated to contain 0 (control), 10, 30 and 50 g/kg of NT‐rich yeast, respectively. A total of 480 shrimp with an average initial body weight of 1.86 ± 0.02 g were randomly allocated into four groups, with four replicates per group and 30 shrimp each replicate. The results indicated that shrimp fed the diet containing 50 g/kg NT‐rich yeast had significantly higher weight gain (WG), specific growth rate (SGR) and protein efficiency ratio (PER) than those fed the control diet, and the lowest feed conversion ratio (FCR) was observed in the shrimp fed the 50 g/kg NT‐rich yeast supplemental diet. However, there was no significant difference in survival among all treatments. The crude protein of whole shrimp in the 50 g/kg NT‐rich yeast group was higher than that in the control group. Total protein, triglyceride concentrations, the activities of aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase in serum were significantly influenced by the dietary NT‐rich yeast supplementation. The activities of serum phenoloxidase (PO) and lysozyme (LZM) of shrimp fed the diet containing 50 g/kg NT‐rich yeast were higher than those in shrimp fed the other diets. Relative expressions of alp and lzm significantly upregulated in the 30 g/kg NT‐rich yeast group compared to the control group. The intestinal fold height and fold width in the 30 g/kg NT‐rich yeast group were significantly higher than those fed the control diet; and the highest microvillus height occurred in the shrimp fed the 50 g/kg NT‐rich yeast diet. In summary, dietary 30–50 g/kg NT‐rich yeast supplementation promotes growth performance, enhances innate immunity and improves intestinal morphology of Litopenaeus vannamei.     

Nutrition of red drum,Sciaenops ocellatus L.: An additional evaluation of the effects of soya‐based diets and supplemental prebiotic

We assessed the effects of a fishmeal (FM)‐ and two soya‐based diets [without or with prebiotic (GroBiotic^® ‐A; GBA) supplementation] on the production performance, non‐specific immunity, blood parameters and gut microbiota diversity of red drum, Sciaenops ocellatus. All diets were formulated to contain 450 g/kg crude protein (CP) and 120 g/kg lipid. A combination of soya bean meal and soya protein concentrate (SP) was used to replace 88% of the FM in the FM‐based diet (REF) originating the first soya‐based diet (SOY). The second soya‐based diet (SOY + GBA) was designed identically to SOY except for the supplementation of GBA (20 g/kg) substituting for wheat flour. After feeding the experimental diets to triplicate groups of 25 (~3.4 g/fish) and 90 (~4.1 g/fish) red drum juveniles for 9 (Trial I) and 16 weeks (Trial II), our results showed that (i) red drum was highly sensitive to the soya‐based diets in the first week of feeding; (ii) replacing 88% of FM with SP reduced the production performance of red drum without affecting intestinal micromorphology; (iii) whole‐blood leucocyte oxidative radical production was unaffected while lower haematocrit and higher plasma lysozyme activity were found in fish fed REF; (iv) plasma osmolality was unaffected while lower glucose and higher lactate levels were observed in fish fed SOY and SOY + GBA; (v) 16S rRNA gene‐based diversity of fish gut microbiota was affected both by SP and by GBA. This study expands the information on red drum responses to soya‐based diets and prebiotic supplementation.     

Evaluation of a fish meal analogue as a replacement for fish meal in practical diets for Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei

Three six‐week growth trials and a digestibility trial were conducted to evaluate a fish meal analogue (FMA) as a replacement for fish meal (FM) in shrimp feeds. Trials 1 and 2 evaluated and confirmed the potential of FMA supplementation (0, 48.5, 97, 145.5 and 194 g/kg) as a replacement for FM up to 200 g/kg without balancing for phosphorus (P) in practical diets for juvenile Pacific white shrimp L. vannamei. At the end of trial 1, shrimp offered diets containing 48.5 g/kg FMA exhibited significantly higher weight gain (WG) than those fed with the diet containing 145.5 g/kg FMA. At the end of trial 2, dietary FMA inclusion at 48.5 and 97 g/kg significantly improved WG and protein retention (PR), while reducing FCR and protein content of shrimp body compared to the diet containing 194 g/kg FMA. To determine whether P deficiency is the cause of reduced growth, the third trial was conducted utilizing equivalent diet but balanced for P. At the end of trial 3, shrimp fed diet containing 48.5 g/kg FMA+P showed significantly higher WG and PR than those fed diet containing 145.5 g/kg FMA+P. No decreasing trend of growth was detected in the diets containing FMA compared to the FM‐based diet. Apparent digestibility coefficients of dry matter, energy, protein and amino acids of FMA were determined using chromic oxide as an inert maker and the 70:30 replacement technique. The energy, protein and individual amino acid digestibility of FMA were significantly lower than those of soybean meal and FM which were run at the same time. Results of this work indicate that FMA can replace up to 200 g/kg FM in shrimp diets with supplemental inorganic P. Given the good growth across the range of inclusion without any indication of a growth depression, the low nutrient digestibility of FMA may be due to an atypical response or the product simply does not work with the testing technique.     

Dietary supplementation of autolysed yeast enhances growth,liver functionality and intestinal morphology in African catfish

A feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the potential of dietary supplementation of autolysed brewer's yeast (AY) on African catfish. The catfish (22.5 ± 1.15 g/fish, 20 fish 33 L/tank) were fed with either of diets (390 g/kg crude protein, 140 g/kg lipid) supplemented with 0, 3, 6 or 10 g/kg AY (n = 3). After 49 days of feeding, the final body weight and metabolic growth rate of the catfish fed 3 g/kg AY (3‐AY) diet were higher than those fed the control diet (p < .05). The lowest level (p < .05) of alanine transaminase was detected in the blood of the catfish fed 3‐AY diet. The mid‐intestinal histology of the catfish revealed no significant difference (p > .05) in intestinal perimeter ratio. However, an elevated (p < .05) abundance of goblet cells and intraepithelial leucocytes were found in the intestine of catfish fed 3, 6 and 10 g/kg AY diets, with the highest level of abundance recorded in the mid‐intestine of the catfish fed 3‐AY diet. The results suggest that dietary 3 g/kg autolysed brewer's yeast supplementation improves growth performance of African catfish without deleterious effect on liver functionality and gut morphology.     

Effects of dietary zinc level on performance,zinc status,tissue composition and enzyme activities of juvenile Siberian sturgeon,Acipenser baerii (Brandt 1869)

This study conducted to evaluate the effect of dietary zinc (Zn) levels on feed utilization, tissue Zn composition and serum enzyme activities of juvenile Siberian sturgeon, Acipenser baerii. Five isoenergetic and isonitrogenous semi‐purified diets were formulated with increasing Zn sulphate (ZnSO₄.5H₂O) level to provide the actual Zn values of 14.7 (control), 20.8, 27.3, 37.7 and 46.4 mg/kg diet. Each diet was assigned to three groups of 20 experimental Siberian sturgeons with uniform size (initial weight of 26.52 ± 0.94 g) for a period of 8‐week feeding trial. Results showed that growth performance and muscle protein content were significantly increased with increasing dietary Zn level up to 27.3 mg/kg (p < .05), beyond which they remained significantly unchanged (p > .05). Muscle lipid content significantly declined with increasing dietary Zn level. While muscle and serum Zn contents were not significantly changed among treatments (p > .05), liver Zn content tended to rise with increasing dietary Zn supplementation. Alkaline phosphatase, superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities were also raised with increasing dietary Zn level. The adequate amount of dietary Zn requirements for the Siberian sturgeon was estimated to be 28.24 mg/kg based on the relative growth rate and 34.60 mg/kg based on the liver Zn content.     

Effects of inorganic and organic dietary copper supplementation on growth performance and tissue composition for juvenile red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus L.)

A feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the dietary copper requirement of red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) and compare the bioavailability of copper sulphate (CuSO₄) and copper‐ethanolamine. A basal diet was formulated using semi‐purified ingredients and analysed to contain 3 mg Cu/kg. Both copper sources were supplemented to the basal diet at either 5, 10 or 20 mg Cu/kg of dry diet. No significant differences were observed in growth performance of fish fed the various diets. However, red drum fed all copper‐supplemented diets retained more copper in liver and whole‐body tissues compared to fish fed the basal diet. Within both inorganic and organic copper treatments, the highest tissue copper concentrations were observed in fish fed diets supplemented with 10 mg Cu/kg. No significant differences were detected in net copper retention regardless of the nature of the copper source; hence, the bioavailability of copper sulphate and copper‐ethanolamine complex was not different in the diets for juvenile red drum. Furthermore, the minimum copper requirement for growth performance of juvenile red drum appeared to be satisfied when fish were fed the basal diet containing 3 mg Cu/kg diet, and no detrimental effects were observed in red drum fed diets supplemented with 20 mg Cu/kg.     

Effect of hydroxyproline supplementation on growth performance,body composition,amino acid profiles,blood‐biochemistry and collagen synthesis of juvenile chu's croaker (Nibea coibor)

Hydroxyproline (Hyp) may play an important role in collagen metabolism, as it is almost exclusively found in collagen. To examine this possibility, a 56‐day feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effect of graded supplementaries of Hyp (0, 2.5, 5, 7.5, 10 and 12.5 g/kg dry diet weight) on growth performance, feed utilization, biochemical composition and collagen synthesis of chu's croaker, Nibea coibor (13.6 ± 0.28 g). The growth performance and feed utilization were improved with increased levels of dietary Hyp, reaching a maximum at 5 g/kg (diet H2) followed by a slight decrease. Polynomial regression analysis showed that the maximum specific growth rate (SGR) was attained at 7.177 g/kg dietary Hyp. Increasing levels of Hyp did not affect body composition of juvenile Nibea coibor. However, dietary Hyp supplementation significantly affected the levels of Leu, Ile, Met, Lys, Ser, Glu and Pro in muscle and the levels of Met, Lys, Glu, Pro and Gly in swim bladder. The serum calcium (SC) level decreased significantly with increasing levels of dietary Hyp. However, the triglycerides (TG) and total cholesterol (T‐CH) levels in serum and liver were relatively stable. Importantly, the acid‐soluble collagen (ASC) and total collagen (TC) levels in swim bladder increased significantly initially and then decreased after reaching a maximum. Polynomial regression analysis revealed that the maximum TC level in swim bladder was attained at 9.736 g/kg of dietary Hyp. Collectively, these results suggest that the appropriate provision of hydroxyproline is essential for maximal collagen synthesis and growth.     

Metabolic responses of juvenile GIFT strain of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) to dietary L‐tryptophan supplementation

A 60‐day indoor feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary tryptophan supplementation on growth performances, whole‐body chemical composition, expression of muscle growth‐related genes (MyoD, myogenin and myostatin), and haematological and biochemical responses of juvenile genetically improved farmed tilapia (GIFT). Five corn–soy‐based isonitrogenous and isoenergetic diets were formulated to contain graded levels of dietary tryptophan (2.6, 3.2, 3.7, 4.2 and 4.8 g/kg of diet). Each diet was randomly assigned to triplicate groups of 30 fish (5.3 ± 0.1 g) per experimental unit, which were fed thrice a day (9:00, 13:00 and 17:00 hr). Maximum growth performances and feed utilization were observed in fish fed tryptophan at 3.7 g/kg of diet. There was no significant (p > .05) effect on whole‐body composition and amino acid profile by dietary tryptophan supplementation. However, significant (p < .05) differences were observed in plasma metabolites and the mRNA expression of MyoD, myogenin and myostatin. Serum cortisol level was found significantly lowest in fish fed tryptophan at 3.7 g/kg of diet. Second‐order polynomial regression analysis of weight gain and nitrogen gain against dietary tryptophan levels indicated that the optimum dietary tryptophan requirement for maximum growth and feed utilization of juvenile GIFT tilapia was 3.8 g/kg of diet.     

Effects of dietary docosahexaenoic acid on growth performance,fatty acid profile and lipogenesis of blunt snout bream (Megalobrama amblycephala)

Six diets were designed to investigate the effects of dietary docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n‐3; DHA) levels (0.5, 1.3, 2.3, 4.2, 8.1 and 15.9 g/kg diets) on growth performance, fatty acid profile and expression of some lipogenesis‐related genes of blunt snout bream (Megalobrama amblycephala). Fish (average weight: 26.40 ± 0.11 g) were randomly fed one of six diets for 8 weeks. Results indicated that the final body weight (FBW) and specific growth rate (SGR) of fish fed 1.3 g/kg DHA were significantly higher than other groups except for the 2.3 g/kg DHA (p < .05). Compared with other groups, the number of lipid droplet clusters of the liver stained with oil red O in the 2.3 g/kg DHA group was the highest, which was consistent with the lipid contents of whole body and liver. The DHA proportion in liver and muscle significantly increased with the increasing dietary DHA levels (p < .05), which reflected fatty acid profiles of diets. The highest mRNA expressions of acetyl‐CoA carboxylase α (ACCα), fatty acid synthase (FAS) and sterol regulatory element‐binding protein‐1 (SREBP‐1) occurred in the 1.3 g/kg DHA group, followed by 2.3 g/kg DHA. In summary, the supplementation of 1.3–2.3 g/kg DHA could improve growth performance and lipogenesis, and the dietary DHA could improve DHA and PUFA proportion in liver and muscle.     

Fishmeal levels can be successfully reduced in white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) if supplemented with DL‐Methionine (DL‐Met) or DL‐Methionyl‐DL‐Methionine (Met‐Met)

The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of methionine supplementation when reducing fishmeal levels in diets for white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei). Tested diets consisted of a positive control with 260 g/kg fishmeal (D1), two negative controls with 100 g/kg fishmeal and no amino acid (AA) supplementation (D2) or supplemented with lysine but not methionine (D3), and four additional diets with 100g/kg fishmeal supplemented with increasing levels of DL‐Met (1.0, 2.0 or 3.0 g/kg) (D4, D5, D6) or Met‐Met (1.0 g/kg) (D7). Each diet was fed to four groups of 30 shrimp for 8 weeks at a daily rate of 70 g/kg body weight. Reduction in fishmeal from 260 g/kg down to 100 g/kg did not significantly affect survival rate, feed conversion ratio (FCR), protein efficiency ratio (PER) or protein retention efficiency (PR%) of white shrimp. However, growth performance (final body weight, FBW; weight gain, WG; specific growth rate, SGR) was reduced when dietary fishmeal level was reduced from 260 g/kg (D1) to 100 g/kg without methionine supplementation (D2). The growth performance (FBW, WG and SGR) of shrimp was significantly increased by supplementation of the 100 g/kg fishmeal diet with increasing levels of DL‐Met (p < .05). Same performance as positive control (D1) was achieved with diets containing 100 g/kg fishmeal and supplemented with 3.0 g/kg DL‐Met or 1.0 g/kg Met‐Met. The highest values of growth performance (FBW, WG and SGR) were found in shrimp fed D6 and D7 diets, which were significantly higher than those of shrimp fed D2 and D3 diets (p < .05) but without statistical differences with shrimp fed D1, D4 and D5 diets (p > .05). The highest values of whole‐body and muscle protein contents were found in shrimp fed D1 diet, which were significantly higher than those of shrimp fed all other diets (p < .05). The highest value of intestinal tract proteolytic enzyme activity was found in shrimp fed Met‐Met‐supplemented diet (D7) and followed by the positive control diet (D1) and 3 g/kg DL‐Met‐supplemented diet (D6) (p < .05). The highest values of apparent digestibility coefficients (ADCs) of dry matter and crude protein were found in Met‐Met‐supplemented diet (D7) and followed by the positive control diet (D1) (p < .05). Shrimp fed the D1 diet showed the highest value of total essential amino acid (EAA) and was significantly higher than shrimp fed D2–D3 (p < .05) but without significant difference with shrimp fed D4–D7 (p > .05). In conclusion, results showed that same performance can be achieved with diets containing 260 or 100 g/kg fishmeal supplemented with 3.0 g/kg DL‐Met or 1.0 g/kg Met‐Met. Moreover, supplementation of limiting methionine in low‐fishmeal diets seems to improve the digestive proteolytic activity, improving digestibility of dry matter and protein, and eventually to promote growth of juvenile white shrimp in fishmeal reduction diets.     

Effects of dietary supplementation with coconut oil on the growth,fatty acid profiles and some lipid metabolism relative gene expressions of orange‐spotted grouper Epinephelus coioides

This study investigated the effects of coconut oil as a dietary supplement on the growth, lipid metabolism and related gene expressions of juvenile orange‐spotted grouper Epinephelus coioides. Coconut oil at concentrations of 0, 10, 30 and 50 g/kg was used to replace dietary lipids in a basal diet containing 150 g/kg lipids. The four experimental diets were, respectively, fed to triplicate groups of juvenile groupers (initial weight: 8.53 ± 0.13 g) in a recirculating system for 8 weeks. Fish fed the diet containing 50 g/kg coconut oil exhibited lower (p < .05) weight gain than did fish fed the diet containing 30 g/kg coconut oil; however, no significant differences in weight gain were observed between fish fed diets containing 0 and 10 g/kg coconut oil. Hepatic carnitine palmitoyltransferase‐1, fatty acid synthase, fatty acid elongase, fatty acid desaturase and peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor gamma gene expressions were all the highest in fish fed the diet containing 10 g/kg coconut oil. Fish fed the coconut oil‐free basal diet demonstrated upregulated gene expression of neuropeptide Y. The results suggest that dietary supplementation with 10 g/kg coconut oil exerted beneficial effects on lipid metabolism by E. coioides.     

Dietary combination of pawpaw seed and onion peel powder: Impact on growth,haematology, biochemical and antioxidant status of Clarias gariepinus

A feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effect of pawpaw–onion powder (POP) mixture on the growth, and haemato‐biochemical and antioxidant responses of Clarias gariepinus (4.02 ± 0.01g/fish) for 60 days. Five trial diets were formulated as control (without POP or antimicrobial growth promoter (AGP)), AGP (basal diet + 10ml AGP/kg diet), POP 2.5 (basal diet + 2.5g POP/kg diet), POP 5.0 (basal diet + 5.0g POP/kg diet) and POP 10 (basal diet + 10g POP/kg diet). Two hundred and twenty‐five fish were equally distributed into five groups in triplicate and fed twice daily. The results indicate that AGP or POP supplementation exerted no effects on the growth and blood profile among the various groups, but a significantly higher lymphocyte count was observed in POP 10g/kg. The highest whole‐body protein and lipid contents were noticed in fish fed the control diet (p < .05), whereas POP 5.0g/kg group recorded the highest hepatosomatic value. Furthermore, the cholesterol level was found to be lower in the AGP‐ and POP‐fed fish compared with the higher level recorded in the control. The glucose concentration and superoxide dismutase enzyme activity were found to be higher in POP 2.5‐fed fish, whereas POP 10‐fed fish showed higher catalase activities compared with other groups (p < .05). Based on the result obtained, this study showed that dietary POP had no significant impact on the growth performance but has direct effects on the whole‐body lipid content, lymphocyte count, cholesterol level, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase and antioxidant response of Clarias gariepinus.     

Effect of dietary leucine on growth performance,hemolymph and hepatopancreas enzyme activities of swimming crab,Portunus trituberculatus

An 8‐week feeding trial was conducted to determine the dietary leucine requirement for juvenile swimming crabs reared in cement pools. Six isonitrogenous and isolipidic practical diets (430 g/kg crude protein and 70 g/kg crude lipid) were formulated to contain graded leucine levels which ranged from 16.7 to 26.7 g/kg (dry weight). Each diet was randomly assigned to triplicate groups of 60 juvenile swimming crabs (initial average weight 3.75 ± 0.12 g) that were stocked in rectangle plastic baskets. The results of the present study indicated that dietary leucine levels significantly influenced weight gain (WG) and specific growth ratio (SGR) (p < .05), crab fed the diet containing 22.7 g/kg leucine had significantly higher WG and SGR than those fed the other diets. Feed efficiency and protein efficiency ratio were not significantly affected by the dietary leucine levels (p > .05). Total protein, cholesterol, triglyceride and glucose in serum were significantly affected by the dietary leucine levels. Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase activities in hemolymph, AST and superoxide dismutase activities in hepatopancreas were significantly affected by dietary leucine levels; moreover, crab fed the 16.7 g/kg leucine diet had higher malondialdehyde in hemolymph and hepatopancreas than those fed the other diets. Crab fed the diet containing 24.9 g/kg leucine had higher phenoloxidase activity in hemolymph than those fed the other diets. Based on two‐slope broken‐line model of SGR against dietary leucine levels, the optimal dietary leucine requirement for growth was estimated to be 22.1 g/kg of the dry diet (corresponding to 51.4 g/kg of dietary protein on a dry weight basis). In summary, findings of this study indicated that dietary leucine could improve growth performance and antioxidant status.     

Hypoxia‐induced changes in survival,immune response and antioxidant status of the Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) fed with graded levels of dietary myo‐inositol

A 3‐hr experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary myo‐inositol (MI) supplementation on survival, immune response and antioxidant abilities in Litopenaeus vannamei under acute hypoxia stress. Six practical diets were formulated with supplementation of graded levels (control group 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, 0.8 and 1.6 g/kg dry diet) of MI and were randomly assigned to triplicate groups of L. vannamei (mean weight 0.40 ± 0.00 g) for 8 weeks. Ten healthy shrimp (final mean weight approximately 11–14 g) randomly selected from each tank were exposed to hypoxia stress after feeding trial. After 3‐hr acute hypoxia stress, survival of shrimp fed MI‐supplemented diets (except 0.1 and 0.4 g/kg diets) was significantly increased compared with the control group. Shrimp fed control diet had lower activities of alkaline phosphatase (AKP), acid phosphatase (ACP), total antioxidant capacity (T‐AOC) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX), and higher malondialdehyde (MDA) and protein carbonyl (PC) contents in hepatopancreas than those fed the MI‐supplemented diets. In addition, mRNA expression levels of heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70), catalase (CAT) and penaeidin were significantly differentially regulated in hepatopancreas. In summary, dietary MI supplementation may have a positive effect on improving resistance to acute hypoxia stress of L. vannamei.     

Effect of supplementation of dietary fibre concentrates on biochemical parameters,stress response,immune response and skin mucus of jundiá (Rhamdia quelen)

The aim of this study was to assess the effects of different dietary fibre concentrates (DFC: Mucilage = MG; pectin = PN or β‐glucan+mannan = βg+M), on biochemical parameters, stress and immune response and skin mucus of jundiá (Rhamdia quelen). The fish (7.16 ± 0.06 g) were fed with Control diet (0 g/kg of DFC); diet supplemented with 5 g/kg of commercial prebiotic (CP 5) or diets supplemented with 5 or 10 g/kg of MG; PN or βg+M. After 8 weeks of the feeding trials, biochemical parameters (cholesterol, glucose, albumin and total protein), cortisol, immunoglobulin IgM and mucoproteins of skin mucus were assessed. Results demonstrated that supplementation with PN increased cholesterol levels (p<.05). After application of the stressor, most fish, except those in the PN and 10 g/kg MG groups, showed significant increases (p<.05) in cholesterol, glucose and albumin levels. The jundiás showed no difference in cortisol levels after application of the stressor (p>.05). IgM levels were significantly high in fish supplemented with DFC (p<.05). However, the concentration of mucoproteins in skin mucus was not influenced in the different treatments (p>.05). The results showed that supplementation with DFC promoted beneficial effects on the metabolism of jundiá.     

Effect of dietary isoleucine level on growth,protein retention efficiency,haematological parameter,lysozyme activity and serum antioxidant status of fingerling Channa punctatus (Bloch)

Isoleucine requirement of fingerling Channa punctatus (6.74 ± 0.09 g) was estimated by feeding seven trial diets (450 g/kg CP, 14.73 kJ/g DE) containing 3.8, 7.5, 11.3, 15.1, 19.3, 23.2 and 27.4 g/kg of isoleucine for 12 weeks. Growth and haematological parameters increased with the increasing concentrations of dietary isoleucine up to 16 g/kg. Carcass protein and fat increased significantly with the increasing concentrations of dietary isoleucine up to 16 g/kg and then stabilized. Moisture content showed reverse trend to that of carcass fat. Hepatosomatic index was found to be highest at 4 g/kg of dietary isoleucine. Viscerosomatic index and condition factor increased significantly with increasing levels of isoleucine up to 16 g/kg dry diet. Serum protein, lysozyme and superoxide dismutase activities were also found to increase significantly up to 16 g/kg dry diet. Significant reduction in alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase activities was observed by increasing concentrations of dietary isoleucine up to 16 g/kg. Based on quadratic regression analysis of absolute weight gain, feed conversion ratio, protein retention and isoleucine retention efficiencies against varying concentrations of isoleucine, the optimum isoleucine requirement ranging between 17.95 and 18.39 g/kg dry diet, corresponding to 39.88–40.86 g/kg dietary protein, is recommended for maximizing growth of C. punctatus.