Evaluation of macroalgal detritus as food source for juvenile Manila clam,Ruditapes philippinarum: Effects on growth,amino acid content and fatty acid composition

Sufficient high‐quality microalgae are required for indoor nursery of juvenile Ruditapes philippinarum. However, culturing numerous microalgae to support clam feeding is a heavy burden on many hatcheries. The effects of detritus from the macroalgae Ulva pertusa, Chondrus ocellatus and Undaria pinnatifida on the growth, amino acid content and fatty acid profile of R. philippinarum were assessed as potential substitute diets. The green microalga Tetraselmis cordiformis served as comparative diet. Results revealed that the clams ingesting distinct diets presented no significant differences in growth of soft tissues, but the nutritional component of these clams differed dramatically. The clams fed with Undaria + Tetraselmis had the highest content of essential amino acids and proteins. In addition, the clams fed with single macroalgal diets and mixed macroalgal detritus and Tetraselmis showed significantly higher or statistically equal levels in n‐3/n‐6 ratio and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)/eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) ratio with respect to Tetraselmis diets. The relative percentages of EPA and DHA in clams fed with Undaria were 28% and 63% higher than those fed with Tetraselmis, and the arachidonic acid abundances in clams ingesting Undaria + Tetraselmis and Tetraselmis were significantly higher than those in clams ingesting other diets. Together, the diets containing single Undaria or mixed Undaria + Tetraselmis produced Manila clams with nutritional advantages in terms of essential amino acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Thus, the detritus of macroalgae, especially Undaria, is an appropriate substitute diet, at least partially, for culture of nutrition‐improved R. philippinarum.     

Individual and spatial variation are as important as species‐level variation to the trophic complexity of a lentic food web

Ecological complexity may improve ecosystem function, stability and adaptability to natural and anthropogenic disturbances. Intraspecific trophic variation can represent a significant component of total community variation and can influence food web structure and function. Thus, understanding how trophic niches are partitioned between intraspecific and interspecific processes could improve our understanding of food web dynamics. We examined gut contents, fatty acids and stable isotope ratios in round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) and yellow perch (Perca flavescens) across six sites in Lake Michigan, USA, to determine patterns in intra‐ and interspecific trophic composition (i.e., mean gut or fatty acid composition) and diversity (i.e., the diversity of gut items or fatty acids). We also examined relationships between fatty acid diversity and gut content characteristics to understand potential mechanisms shaping individual trophic phenotypes. There was significant variation in both trophic composition and diversity among sites, and individual and spatial variation was as important to total trophic variation as species identity. Round goby that consumed dreissenid mussels had more diverse fatty acid profiles than those that consumed other benthic invertebrates, whereas yellow perch fatty acid diversity was not related to gut content composition. Our results confirm that intraspecific variation in resource use can be as important to trophic dynamics as interspecific variation, and that spatial variation in lower level food web processes or habitat may strongly structure local food web dynamics. Individual‐level examination of trophic diversity, in concert with trophic composition, could provide additional information about the resilience, function and adaptability of local food webs.     

Nutritional Characteristics of a Peruvian Anchovy (Engraulis ringens) Protein Concentrate

ABSTRACT

The aim of the present study is to present a new anchovy protein concentrate and compare it to other similar fishery products. A 76.4% protein concentrate was prepared from fresh Peruvian anchoveta (Engraulis ringens) (APC) by means of acid treatment with 1% citric acid, solubilization with 1% sodium chloride, and isoelectric precipitation processes. Remaining fat was 5.2%, and 0.51 A_w indicates good stability. When APC was rehydrated for 10 minutes, it had a 3.5 initial weight increase. It provided 17.8% protein of very high nutritional quality, with only histidine content deficient for children 1–2 years old. Fat content in APC offered 33.4% EPA+DHA. No changes in the essential/non-essential amino acids (EAA/non-EAA), polyunsaturated/saturated fatty acids (PUFA/SFA), or w6/w3 ratios were observed as a result of the process in the raw material. Because of the high sodium content, a 25 g portion is recommended to fulfill nutritional FAO recommendations. APC can be considered as an important source of calcium (30% adults and 35% children requirements), phosphorous (30% adults and 52% children requirements), and iron content (approximately 20% adults and children needs). APC is an important high-quality protein, providing w-3 fatty acids, calcium, phosphorous, and iron.     

Testing the yield of a pilot‐scale bubble column photobioreactor for cultivation of the microalga Rhodomonas salina as feed for intensive calanoid copepod cultures

A dual column photobioreactor (PBR) (2 × 47 L) with mixed CO₂/air bubbling was tested for cultivation of the microalga Rhodomonas salina as food for live feed copepods. In the continuous growth phase, the cell density was relatively stable at 2.40 ± 0.13 × 10⁶ cells/ml at an average dilution rate of 0.46 ± 0.02 per day throughout the 30‐day experiment. The produced algae had a high content of both total fatty acids (TFA) and free amino acids (FAA). Especially, the harvested algae contained a high proportion of poly‐unsaturated fatty acids that made up 80% of the TFA and of essential amino acids (35% of all FAA), implicating desirable components as feed for copepods. The current PBR was sufficient to feed a culture of the calanoid copepod Acartia tonsa at a density of 2,500 adult/L in ca. 500 L culture with a daily yield of approximately 17 × 10⁶ eggs. To be able to sustain the integrated copepods production, the suggested volume of the algae cultures should be ca. 20% of the copepod culture volume.     

Evaluation of Streptocephalus dichotomus nauplii as a larval diet for freshwater prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii

This study was performed to assess the nutritional value of Streptocephalus dichotomus nauplii and compared with standard larval diet and parthenogenetic strain of Artemia nauplii. The effectiveness of live feed was determined by feeding freshwater prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii postlarvae. Results on the growth rate, weight gain, survival, fatty acid and amino acid composition show a significant variation between the dietary treatments. Mean larval growth was significantly different ( P  < 0.001) between control diet (13.5 ± 0.5 mm) and live feeds ( Streptocephalus nauplii; 18.4 ± 0.5 mm and Artemia nauplii 18.7 ± 0.2 mm). The weight of larvae-fed Streptocephalus (41.1 ± 1.44 mg) and Artemia nauplii (41.7 ± 0.2 mg) was not significantly different; however, treatment with live feeds was significantly higher than the control (16.3 ± 0.5 mg) ( P  < 0.001). Proximate composition on the fairy shrimp reveals that they are rich in protein, lipid, essential amino acids (EAA) and essential fatty acids (EFA). The polyenoic unsaturated fatty acid (18 : 2 n-6 and 18 : 3 n-3) and highly unsaturated fatty acid (20 : 4 n-3 and 20 : 5 n-3) show a dramatic increase in larval tissue relative to its proportional composition in the live diets. Amino acid composition in the live feeds, Streptocephalus and Artemia nauplii, perfectly reflects on the amino acid proportions in the larvae-fed diets which confirm its utilization.     

Effect of zooplankton as diet for the early paralarvae of Patagonian red octopus,Enteroctopus megalocyathus,grown under controlled environment

The limited success reported in the paralarval culture of merobenthic octopus is mainly attributed to nutritional problems. This study aimed to determine the effect of live diets on the paralarvae performance during the first 30 days after hatching (DAH). The paralarvae were grown under different treatments: starved (STV) as negative control or fed four diets: Artemia sp. enriched with microalgae (ANCH), Artemia enriched with a commercial enrichment (AOG), Artemia enriched with microalga + commercial enrichment (AMIX) and king crab zoea (ZKC). The paralarval growth and survival were affected by the dietary treatment, with significant higher growth in ANCH and AMIX. STV showed 100% mortality at day 27, whereas all diets resulted within a range from 20% to 33% survival. The endogenous protein and lipid reserves were utilized in all treatments. The 22:6n‐3/20:5n‐3 ratio increased up to 16% during the experimental period. Alkaline protease activity tended to increase in paralarvae fed ANCH, AOG and ZKC over the first 13 DAH; however, this effect was not observed in trypsin nor chymotrypsin activities. The leucine aminopeptidase activity (LAP) was not affected by the dietary treatment, while alkaline phosphatases increased only at 13 DAH in paralarvae fed ANCH. Indicators of the nutritional status of paralarvae are discussed.