Effects of dietary chlorogenic acid on growth,flesh quality and serum biochemical indices of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella)

The study was to investigate effects of dietary chlorogenic acid (CGA) on growth performance, flesh quality and serum biochemical indices of grass carp (95.1 ± 0.3 g) (Ctenopharyngodon idella) fed seven different diets, including control diet, Eucommia ulmoides (EU)‐supplemented diet (20 g kg^–1) and CGA‐supplemented diets containing 100, 200, 400, 600 and 800 mg/kg CGA. Contents of collagen and alkaline‐insoluble collagen in muscle and skin were significantly increased by dietary CGA and EU (p < .05). Total essential amino acids (TEAA) and total amino acids (TAA) in muscle of grass carp fed EU diet or 400, 600 and 800 mg/kg CGA diet were significantly higher than those of fish fed control diet and 100 and 200 mg/kg CGA diet (p < .05). Fish fed 200–800 mg/kg CGA showed significantly lower muscle crude lipid content than EU, control and 100 mg/kg CGA groups (p < .05). Fish fed CGA‐supplemented diets (100–800 mg/kg) had significantly higher muscle fibre density and lower muscle fibre diameter than control group (p < .05). In conclusion, supplementation of CGA improved flesh quality of grass carp, and supplemental level of CGA for improving flesh quality and growth was estimated to be 400 mg/kg diet.     

Effects of Dietary Geniposide on Growth,Flesh Quality,and Lipid Metabolism of Grass Carp,Ctenopharyngodon idella

The aim of this study was to investigate effects of dietary geniposide (GP) on growth performance, flesh quality, and lipid metabolism of grass carp, Ctenopharyngodon idella (95.2 ± 0.6 g), fed seven different diets, including a control diet; Eucommia ulmoides (EU)–supplemented diet (20 g/kg); and GP‐supplemented diets containing 100, 200, 400, 600, and 800 mg/kg GP, respectively. Weight gain rate was significantly improved (P < 0.05) and feed conversation ratio was significantly decreased (P < 0.05) by supplementation of EU. Grass carp fed 100–800 mg/kg GP‐supplemented diets showed significantly higher total collagen and alkaline‐insoluble collagen content in muscle than control (P < 0.05). Contents of total collagen and the alkaline‐insoluble collagen content in the skin of grass carp were significantly increased by dietary 600–800 mg/kg GP and EU (P < 0.05). Fish fed diets containing 600–800 mg/kg GP showed significantly lower muscle crude lipid content than the EU, control, and 100–400 mg/kg GP groups (P < 0.05). Fish fed 400–800 mg/kg GP diets had significantly higher muscle fiber density and lower muscle fiber diameter and serum triglyceride level than the control (P < 0.05). In conclusion, supplementation of GP could improve flesh quality, but not growth of grass carp. The supplemental level of GP for improving flesh quality was estimated to be a 400–600 mg/kg diet.     

Comparison study of three compounds in Eucommia ulmoides on growth,flesh quality of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella)

This study was conducted to compare the growth‐promoting and flesh quality ‐improving effects of three active compounds in Eucommia ulmoides (EU) on grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella). Four iso‐nitrogenous diets supplemented with 400 mg/kg inclusion of geniposidic acid (GA), chlorogenic acid (CGA), geniposide (GP) and their combination (GA:CGA:GP = 1:1:1, the mixture) were prepared and fed to grass carp (47.1 ± 0.6 g) for 75 days. The results indicated that weight gain was increased by 5.22%, and feed conversion ratio decreased by 0.07 by dietary CGA (p < 0.05). In flesh quality, the four supplementations significantly increased muscle fibre density, total collagen and alkaline‐insoluble collagen in skin, and reduced steaming loss of flesh. In addition, dietary CGA, GP and the active compounds mixture further increased total collagen, alkaline‐insoluble collagen and amino acid in flesh. In collagen genes expression, the expression of COL1A1 in muscle and skin was significantly promoted by the supplementation of GA, CGA, GP and their combination (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the supplementation of GA, CGA, GP and their combination improved the flesh quality of grass carp, and the growth was increased by CGA. CGA played more important roles in growth‐promoting and flesh quality‐improving effects than GP and GA.     

Effects of dietary coated protease on growth performance,feed utilization,nutrient apparent digestibility,intestinal and hepatopancreas structure in juvenile Gibel carp (Carassius auratus gibelio)

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary protease on growth performance, feed utilization, whole‐body proximate composition, nutrient digestibility, intestinal and hepatopancreas structure of juvenile Gibel carp, Carassius auratus gibelio (mean weight 8.08 ± 0.18 g). Six diets were prepared, including a positive control diet (dietary protein 350 g/kg, PC), one negative control diet (dietary protein 33 g/kg, NC) and four protease supplementations diets, which were 75, 150, 300 and 600 mg/kg protease NC diet. After 12 weeks of diet feeding in indoor recycle aquarium tanks, no significant difference (p > .05) was found on growth performance between fish fed diet with 75–600 mg/kg protease and the PC group. Compared with the fish fed the NC diet, the specific growth rate of fish fed 300 mg/kg protease increased significantly (p < .05), as well as protein efficiency ratios (p < .05), while feed conversion was the opposite (p < .05). The nutrient digestibility of crude protein and lipid was higher (p < .05) in fish fed 150 mg/kg protease diet than the PC diet. Whole‐body proximate composition of fish was not affected (p > .05) by the dietary treatment. Serum alkaline phosphatase and albumin were significantly affected by dietary protease (p < .05), while the content of total protein, glucose, triglyceride, total cholesterol, aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase activities in serum was not affected (p > .05). Foregut muscular thickness was thinner (p < .05), when the fish fed diets supplementation of protease in 150 or 600 mg/kg diet than the NC diet. Protease activities in hepatopancreas and foregut were higher (p < .05), in the fish fed 150 or 300 mg/kg protease diet than the fish fed the PC diet, but those in the mid‐ and hindgut were not significantly affected (p > .05) by the dietary treatments. Based on the regression analysis of weight gain rate, the optimal dietary inclusion level of protease was 400 mg/kg in the diet for juvenile Carassius auratus gibelio.     

Effects of dietary proline on swim bladder collagen synthesis and its possible regulation by the TGF‐β/Smad pathway in spotted drum,Nibea diacanthus

Swim bladder is an ideal source of collagen production in fish for improved human health. Proline (Pro) is the main proteinogenic amino acid needed for collagen production. However, the effects of Pro supplementation on the swim bladder collagen synthesis have rarely been evaluated in fish. We determined the effects of dietary Pro supplementation on swim bladder collagen synthesis and its possible signalling pathway in spotted drum, Nibea diacanthus. A total of 450 N. diacanthus (100 ± 3.05 g) were randomly assigned into six treatments and fed with diets supplemented with different levels of Pro (0, 2.5, 5, 7.5, 10 and 12.5 g/kg of dry diet, hereafter P0, P1, P2, P3, P4 and P5, respectively) for 8 weeks. At the end, we evaluated collagen synthesis in swim bladder and the expression of genes related to TGF‐β/Smad pathway in the fish. Dietary Pro levels increased significantly the contents of crude protein, total collagen (TC) and the levels of some amino acids in swim bladder than the control diet (p < .05). The optimum amount of dietary Pro inclusion in diets for swim bladder collagen synthesis in N. diacanthus was 7.6 and 7.5 g/kg based on crude protein and TC in swim bladder, respectively. Dietary Pro levels increased significantly the proline 4‐hydroxylase (P4H) content in fish serum, swim bladder, muscle and liver tissues than control (p < .05). The relative expression of collagen type I alpha 1 (COL1A1), alpha 2 (COL1A2) and mothers against decapentaplegic homolog 2 (Smad2) genes in liver and swim bladder initially increased significantly as the concentration of Pro and later decreased (p < .05). Similarly, the relative expression of transforming growth factor beta (TGF‐β), P4Ha2 and P4Ha3 genes in the swim bladder increased significantly as dietary Pro levels increased (p < .05). Using K‐means clustering analysis, dietary proline partly promoted collagen accumulation in swim bladder through upregulation of Smad2 and TGF‐βRT genes. Taken together, Pro affected the collagen metabolism in swim bladder, probably by regulating the TGF‐β/Smad pathway, most likely via transient overexpression of Smad2 gene.     

Effects of dietary vitamin C on growth,gonad development and antioxidant ability of on‐growing gibel carp (Carassius auratus gibelio var. CAS III)

An 88‐day experiment was conducted in a flowing system to evaluate the effects of dietary vitamin C on growth, body composition, antioxidant and gonad development of on‐growing gibel carp. Triplicate tanks of gibel carp (77.2 ± 0.1 g) were randomly fed with one of seven experimental diets containing l ‐ascorbic acid of 0, 101.1, 188.5, 313.1, 444.1, 582.1 and 747.0 mg/kg, respectively. The results showed that specific growth rate (SGR) and feed efficiency (FE) of fish were not affected by dietary l ‐ascorbic acid. Dietary l ‐ascorbic acid of 444.1 mg/kg diet led to low levels (p < .05) of gonadosomatic index (GSI) and hypothalamic gonadotropin‐releasing hormone (GnRH) in on‐growing fish, as well as the early ovarian stages (Developing stages) compared with fish (Maturing stages) from the other groups. Dietary l ‐ascorbic acid supplementation increased (p < .05) the dorsal muscle collagen content, but did not affect the protein or lipid content of dorsal muscle in gibel carp. Plasma total antioxidant capacity (T‐AOC) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity increased (p < .05) and then remained unchanged with the increase in dietary l ‐ascorbic acid levels. Dietary l ‐ascorbic acid of 101.1 mg/kg diet improved (p < .05) plasma lysozyme activity of the fish. Broken‐line regression indicated that dietary l ‐ascorbic acid requirement of 77 g gibel carp was 223.3 or 225.0 mg/kg diet based on plasma T‐AOC or SOD activity, which was a little higher than that based on plasma l ‐ascorbic acid concentration (193.2 mg/kg).     

Ferulic acid: A natural compound as an efficient feed additive for GIFT (Oreochromis niloticus)

This study aimed to investigate the effect of dietary ferulic acid (FA) supplementation on growth performance, antioxidant capacity and some physical characteristics of flesh in genetic improvement of farmed tilapia (GIFT) juveniles. Five diets supplemented with 0, 50, 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg FA were prepared. Weight gain was significantly increased, while feed conversion ratio, viscerosomatic index and hepatosomatic index were significantly decreased in fish fed FA diet at 100 mg/kg feed (p < .05). FA supplementation improved hepatic and serum superoxide dismutase and catalase activities, but decreased the malondialdehyde content (p < .05). Furthermore, with the addition of FA, serum triacylglycerol, cholesterol, low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol contents, alanine aminotransferase and aspartate transaminase activities were reduced, whereas serum high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol content, alkaline phosphatase and lysozyme activities were enhanced. The texture profile analysis parameters and water‐holding capacity tended to increase while cooking loss was decreased by dietary FA supplementation (p < .05). These results suggested that dietary FA supplementation increased the growth performance and antioxidant capacity of GIFT, and improved some physical characteristics of flesh and serum biochemical parameters. The optimum dietary FA level was 100 mg/kg in diet.     

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.     

Dietary niacin requirement of juvenile blunt snout bream Megalobrama amblycephala based on a dose–response study

This study aimed to determine the optimal dietary niacin requirement of juvenile Megalobrama amblycephala. Fish, with an average weight of 3.62 ± 0.02 g, were randomly divided into six groups and fed six purified diets with graded levels of niacin (0, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 mg/kg) three times daily for 8 weeks. The survival rate, weight gain (WG), feed conversion ratio, protein efficiency and protein retention all significantly improved (p < .05) as the dietary niacin level increased from 0 to 30 mg/kg but showed no significant difference (p > .05) with further increases in niacin levels. The supplementation of 30 mg/kg niacin also led to a significant (p < .01) reduction in the viscerosomatic index, hepatosomatic index and mesenteric fat index. The dietary niacin levels exhibited minimal effects on whole‐body moisture and ash content (p > .05) but exerted a significant (p < .05) influence on protein and lipid contents and liver nicotinamide concentrations with high values obtained in fish receiving greater than 30 mg/kg of niacin. In addition, moderate levels of niacin lowered plasma triglycerides, non‐esterified fatty acid and low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations (p < .05). Based on the broken‐line regression analysis of WG and liver nicotinamide content, the optimal dietary niacin requirement of juvenile blunt snout bream was 31.25 and 30.62 mg/kg, respectively.     

Antioxidant‐related parameters,digestive enzyme activity and intestinal morphology in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) fry fed graded levels of red seaweed,Gracilaria pygmaea

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary red seaweed, Gracilaria pygmaea level on growth, antioxidant‐related parameters, digestive enzyme activity and intestinal morphology of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) fry. Five isocaloric and isonitrogenous diets were formulated to contain four G. pygmaea levels (30 (GL‐30), 60 (GL‐60), 90 (GL‐90) and 120 g/kg (GL‐120)), and a control diet was used, without inclusion of seaweed. Results of the feeding trial indicated that final body (FBW: 2.8–3.5 g) and specific growth rate (SGR: 4.8–5.2) were significantly improved when 60 g/kg G. pygmaea was supplemented in the diets. However, there was a significant reduction (p < .05) of final body weight (FBW) and specific growth rate (SGR) in fish fed 120 g/kg G. pygmaea. Protease activity was significantly lower in fish fed GL‐120 diet when compared to GL‐30 or control (p < .05). Lipase was significantly affected by dietary seaweed regardless its level of supplementation (p < .05). The inclusion of the Gracilaria in the diet led to evident changes in the fish antioxidant status with significant reduction of superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase activity and lipid peroxidation products. The histological study demonstrated that all groups of fish displayed normal morphology of anterior intestine and pyloric caeca. Villi absorptive area in the anterior intestine of treatment groups GL‐90 and GL‐120 significantly decreased (p < .05). Overall, the results obtained in this study indicate that dietary G. pygmaea supplementation up to 90 g/kg improves growth performance in rainbow trout fry without compromising antioxidant responses and digestive function.     

Effects of dietary vitamin E and astaxanthin on growth,skin colour and antioxidative capacity of large yellow croaker Larimichthys crocea

A 10‐week feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effect of dietary vitamin E and astaxanthin on growth performance, skin colour and antioxidative capacity of large yellow croaker Larimichthys crocea. Six practical diets were formulated in a 2 × 3 factorial design to supplement with two levels of astaxanthin (25 and 50 mg/kg) and three levels of vitamin E (0, 120 and 800 mg/kg). The results showed that both the highest final body weight and specific growth rate were found in fish fed diets with 120 mg/kg vitamin E supplementation. No significant differences were found in survival rate, feed conversion ratio and protein efficiency ratio among all the treatments (p > .05). Skin lightness (L*) was not significantly affected by dietary treatments (p > .05). Ventral skin redness (a*) of fish fed diet with 25 mg/kg astaxanthin and 0 mg/kg vitamin E supplementation was significantly lower than that of fish fed with other diets. Yellowness (b*) and carotenoid contents both in the dorsal and in the ventral skin were found to be significantly increased with increasing dietary astaxanthin or vitamin E (p < .05), but no significant interactions were found (p > .05). The vitamin E content in liver reflected the dietary vitamin E content. Level of vitamin E content in fish fed diets with 800 mg/kg vitamin E supplementation was significantly higher than that in fish fed with the other diets (p < .05). Liver superoxide dismutase activity and thiobarbituric acid reactive substance levels were found to be decreased with increasing dietary astaxanthin and vitamin E levels, respectively. Levels of reduced glutathione in the liver were found to be increased with increasing dietary vitamin E contents. The total antioxidative capacity in the liver was found to be decreased with increasing dietary vitamin E or astaxanthin contents. In conclusion, adequate dietary vitamin E can improve the growth of large yellow croaker, and the supplementation of astaxanthin and vitamin E benefited the skin coloration and antioxidative capacity of large yellow croaker.     

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 soy isoflavones on growth,antioxidant status,immune response and resistance of juvenile grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) to Aeromonas hydrophila challenge

The current study was conducted to evaluate the effect of dietary soy isoflavones (SI) on growth performance, antioxidant status, immune response and resistance to Aeromonas hydrophila in juvenile grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella). Six diets were formulated to contain 0 (control), 10, 50, 100, 500 or 1,000 mg SI per kg feed. Each diet was randomly allotted to triplicate net cages, and each net cage was stocked with 30 fish. The fish were fed one of the experimental diets to satiation twice per day for 60 days. The results showed that the WGR and DGC of the 500 mg/kg SI‐supplemented group were significantly higher than those of the non‐SI‐supplemented group (p < .05). Serum LZM and IgM activities in the SI‐supplemented groups were improved compared to the control group. SOD and GSH‐Px levels of fish fed the diet containing 500 mg/kg SI were significantly enhanced compared to those of fish fed the control diet (p < .05). Additionally, serum CAT, GSH‐Px and AKP activities in 50, 100 and 500 mg/kg SI‐supplemented groups were significantly higher than that in the control group (p < .05). The expression of most immune‐related genes (including IFN‐γ2, TNF‐α, M‐CSF2, IL‐6, IL‐12p40 and IL‐4) was significantly affected by dietary supplementation of SI. The group fed with 500 mg/kg SI had the highest 7‐day cumulative survival rate after challenge test (p < .05). The current results revealed that dietary inclusion of SI could improve the immune response and resistance against A. hydrophila and the supplementation level is suggested to be 500 mg/kg diet.     

Effects of γ‐aminobutyric acid supplementation on the growth performance,serum biochemical indices and antioxidant status of pharaoh cuttlefish,Sepia pharaonis

This study evaluated the effects of dietary γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) on the growth performance, serum biochemical indices and antioxidant status of pharaoh cuttlefish, Sepia pharaonis. Cuttlefish were cultured in open‐culturing cement pool systems for 8 weeks. Six practical diets supplemented with graded levels of GABA (0, 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100 mg/kg) were formulated. Each diet was randomly assigned to triplicate groups of 60 cuttlefish (mean weight: 10.33 g), the cuttlefish were fed two times per day to apparent satiation. The results showed that the specific growth rate (SGR), weight gain (WG) and feed efficiency (FE) significantly increased with dietary GABA supplementation (p < .05). The survival rate (SR) and protein content in muscle significantly increased when 58.9 mg/kg GABA supplied. Moreover, the nitric oxide (NO) content and acid phosphatase (ACP) activity in serum were significantly increased with dietary GABA supplementation (p < .05), while the activity of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) in serum decreased significantly when supplied with GABA at 58.9 mg/kg (p < .05). In addition, dietary GABA improved antioxidation activity by significantly increasing the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) but decreasing malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in the liver and gill (p < .05). On the basis of the quadratic regression analysis of FE, the optimum content of dietary GABA in S. pharaonis was estimated to be 55.3 mg/kg. The findings of this study demonstrated that dietary GABA had a positive effect on the growth performance, serum biochemical indices and antioxidant status of S. pharaonis.     

Effects of dietary copper nanoparticles and vitamin C supplementations on growth performance,immune response and stress resistance of red sea bream,Pagrus major

A 60‐day feeding trial was conducted to determine the effects of copper nanoparticles (Cu‐NPs) and vitamin C (VC) on red sea bream. Besides the control diet (D1), six diets were supplemented with Cu‐NPs and VC [0/800 (D2), 0/1,000 (D3), 0/1,200 (D4), 2/800 (D5), 2/1,000 (D6) and 2/1,200 (D7) mg Cu‐NPs/VC per kg]. Cu‐NP was a significant factor on final weight (FBW), weight gain (WG) and specific growth rate (SGR), feed intake (FI), feed (FER) and protein efficiency ratios (PER), protein gain (PG) and protein retention (PR), body protein and lipid contents, protease (PA) and bactericidal activities (BA) and tolerance against stress (LT50%) (p < .05). In addition, BA and LT50% were significantly affected by either Cu‐NPs or VC (p < .05). Fish fed Cu‐NPs or/and VC‐supplemented diets showed higher FBW, WG, SGR, PG, PR, FI, PA, LA and BA values when compared with the control group (p < .05). FER, PER and body lipid content were significantly enhanced in D4, D5, D6 and D7 groups; meanwhile, body protein and LT50% were significantly enhanced in D5, D6 and D7 groups when compared with D1 group (p < .05). In conclusion, dietary Cu‐NPs or/and VC improved growth and health of red sea bream.     

Growth performance,muscle and liver composition,blood traits,digestibility and gut bacteria of beluga (Huso huso) juvenile fed different levels of soybean meal and lactic acid

The objective of this study was to assess the effects of fishmeal (FM) replacement with 0, 350 or 700 g/kg soybean meal (SBM) in combination with the supplementation of lactic acid (LA; 0, 10 or 20 g/kg) in the diets of juvenile beluga sturgeon (Huso huso; 700 ± 30 g). Nine isonitrogenous (400 g/kg protein) and isoenergetic (18 MJ/kg) diets were fed to beluga ad libitum, three times a day, for 60 days. The results showed that replacing FM with SBM without LA significantly reduced fish growth; on the other hand, LA supplementation had positive effects on fish fed diets that FM was replaced by SBM (p < .05). Increasing SBM in the diet altered the fatty acid profiles of the fish, reducing long‐chain polyunsaturated fatty acids and the n‐3/n‐6 fatty acids. High amounts of SBM (700 g/kg) caused reductions in the haematocrit, glucose and cholesterol levels in the blood (p < .05). In addition, the digestibility of protein, fat, dry matter and phosphorus was reduced when replacing FM with SBM, however, adding LA to the diets increased fish performance (p < .05), and this improvement was sharper in 2% LA groups. The number of LA bacteria increased significantly with the dietary supplementation of LA (p < .05). Based on these results, replacing 350 g/kg of FM with SBM and adding 20 g/kg LA to their feed do not negatively affect the biological and physiological indices of beluga.     

Dietary manganese requirement of juvenile hybrid grouper,Epinephelus lanceolatus × E. fuscoguttatus

An 8‐week feeding trial was conducted to estimate the optimum dietary manganese (Mn) requirement for juvenile hybrid grouper, Epinephelus lanceolatus × E. fuscoguttatus. The basal diet was formulated to contain 520 g/kg crude protein from casein and fishmeal. Manganese methionine was added to the basal diet at 0 (control group), 2.5, 5, 10, 20 and 40 mg Mn/kg diet providing 7.48, 10.34, 13.76, 19.72, 31.00 and 53.91 mg Mn/kg diet, respectively. Each diet was randomly fed to triplicate groups of juveniles, and each tank was stocked with 20 fish (initial weight, 60.06 ± 0.68 g). The manganese content in rearing water was monitored and kept below 0.01 mg/L. Results showed that the weight gain ratio (WGR), protein efficiency ratio (PER), specific growth rate (SGR), Mn contents in whole body, liver and vertebra, and activities of hepatic Mn superoxide dismutase (Mn‐SOD), total SOD (T‐SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH‐PX) were significantly improved by dietary Mn supplementation (p < .05). However, dietary Mn did not affect arginase (DArg) activity. The highest feed conversion ratio (FCR) was observed in fish fed the basal diet (p < .05). No significant differences were found on the Cu and Zn contents in whole body by supplementing dietary Mn. Supplemented Mn in diets had significantly effect on liver and vertebral trace element deposition (p < .05). Fish fed the basal diet had the highest Fe and Zn contents in vertebra (p < .05). There were no significant differences on hepatic pyruvate decarboxylase (PDC) activity with supplemented Mn levels below 13.76 mg/kg. As biomarker of oxidative stress, malondialdehyde (MDA) content in liver was significantly higher in fish fed the basal diet (p < .05). Using the broken‐line models based on SGR, dietary Mn requirement of the juvenile hybrid grouper was estimated to be 12.70 mg/kg diet.     

Effects of fishmeal replacement with cottonseed meal protein hydrolysate on growth,digestion and intestinal histology of juvenile Chinese soft‐shelled turtle,Pelodiscus sinensis

A 60‐day feeding experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of fishmeal (FM) replacement with cottonseed meal protein hydrolysate (CPH) on growth, digestion and intestinal histology of juvenile Chinese soft‐shelled turtle (Pelodiscus sinensis). Five diets were formulated to replace 0, 50, 100, and 150 g/kg fishmeal protein by CPH (CPH0, CPH5, CPH10, CPH15) and CPH15L (CPH15 with micro capsule‐L‐lysine). Weight gain, feed conversion rate and protein efficiency ratio showed no significant differences compared to control group (p > .05). The highest feed intake indicated in CPH15 (p < .05). The composition of whole‐body varied slightly in each groups (p > .05). The trypsin activity significantly elevated when dietary fishmeal protein was replaced by CPH at 30–90 g/kg (p < .05). A significantly higher lipase activities in CPH5 than control group (p < .05). The CPH5‐10 groups showed higher villus height than the other groups (p < .05). The microvillus length in turtles with CPH showed a significant increasing length (p < .05). The results indicated that replacing up to 90 g/kg of dietary fishmeal protein with CPH did not hamper growth or reduce feed intake of turtles. Moreover, CPH replaced 60 g/kg FMP can increase intestine digestive enzymes activities and improve intestinal development.     

Effects of antimicrobial peptide APSH‐07 on the growth performance,anti‐oxidation responses,stress resistance and intestine microbiota in large yellow croaker Larimichthys crocea

A 65‐day feeding trial was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary antimicrobial peptide APSH‐07 on the growth performance, anti‐oxidation responses, stress resistance and intestine microbiota of large yellow croaker Larimichthys crocea. Four isonitrogenous and isolipidic diets were formulated with 0, 30, 60 and 90 mg/kg of APSH‐07, respectively. The results showed that the fish fed with 90 mg/kg of dietary APSH‐07 had the significantly highest specific growth rate (p < .05). The activities of catalase, superoxide dismutase, the total anti‐oxidative capacity and lysozyme had the significantly highest values in liver of fish fed with 90 mg/kg of dietary APSH‐07 (p < .05). Serum glucose increased significantly in fish fed diets without APSH‐07 supplementation after temperature stress, while serum cortisol increased significantly in those after trawl stress (p < .05). Fish fed with 90 mg/kg of dietary APSH‐07 showed significantly higher operational taxonomic units, ACE estimator and phylogenetic diversity whole tree in intestine microbiota compared to fish fed without APSH‐07 (p < .05). In conclusion, under the present experimental condition, 90 mg/kg of antimicrobial peptide APSH‐07 supplementation in diet had the better growth performance, higher anti‐oxidation and stress resistance capacity, and a potentially more beneficial intestine microbial community of large yellow croaker.     

Effects of antimicrobial peptides on growth,morphology of foregut villi and related genes mRNA expression in the common carp (Cyprinus carpio)

A 60‐day feeding trial was conducted to examine the effects of different levels (0, 100, 200, 400 and 600 mg/kg) of antimicrobial peptides on growth, protease activity of foregut, the morphology of foregut villi and related genes mRNA expression level in the common carp (Cyprinus carpio). The results showed that the feed of antimicrobial peptides promote common carp growth, and the optimal dosage of antimicrobial peptides is 200–333 mg/kg in the common carp feed. The protease activity of 200 and 400 mg/kg groups were significantly higher than the control and other groups (p < 0.05). The foregut villus height with 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg antimicrobial peptide groups were significantly higher than control group (p < 0.05). The crypt depth of 200 and 400 mg/kg antimicrobial peptide groups were significantly lower than control group (p < 0.05). The ratio of villus height and crypt depth of 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg antimicrobial peptide groups were significantly higher than control group (p < 0.05). The ratio with 600 mg/kg group was significantly lower than the control group (p < 0.05). The IGF‐I gene expression level of 200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg groups were significantly higher than the control group and 600 mg/kg group (p < 0.05). The IL‐1β gene expression level of 100 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg groups were significantly higher than the control group (p < 0.05). These results indicated up‐regulation of growth and immune related genes in antimicrobial peptides fed common carp. Correlation analysis showed that IGF‐I mRNA and IL‐1β mRNA were positively correlated with SGR. IL‐1β mRNA and FCR were significantly negative correlated. It indicated that growth and immune gene common regulated the growth of the carp under antimicrobial peptides intervention. In conclusion, antimicrobial peptides can improve growth and related genes mRNA expression in the common carp. Further studies using molecular biological technique or immunologic methods are required to conclude that antimicrobial peptides are beneficial in common carp.