Effect of feeding level on growth,body composition,fatty acid profile,and nutrient accumulation in shrimp (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Litopenaeus vannamei</Emphasis>)

A study was conducted in a recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) to assess the growth performance, body composition, fatty acid profile, and nutrient accumulation in different tissues of shrimp using two feeding levels (10 and 16 g/kg^0.8/day). The shrimp PL₂₅ was nursed in the nursing tank for 2 months and stocked in six grow out tanks (ten individuals in each 30 L tank). A commercial feed with 42.7% protein was used over a 16-h period per day. After 4 weeks, the final average weight when fed 16 g/kg^0.8/day was 9.7 g which was not significantly different from a final weight of 8.6 g achieved when feeding 10 g/kg^0.8/day. The protein and energy content increased in high feeding level whereas moisture, crude fat, and ash content decreased with feeding level (P?>?0.05). With the high feeding level, the fatty acid content increased in the eye, muscle, and whole body, with eye containing the highest concentration. The isotopic ratio of δ¹³C was enriched with feeding level in the muscle and whole shrimp whereas the ratio of δ¹³C was depleted in the viscera with feeding level. The fraction of δ¹⁵N was enriched with decreasing feeding level and highest value was found in the muscle than in the whole shrimp and viscera.