Dietary biotin requirement determined for Indian catfish, Heteropneustes fossilis (Bloch), fingerlings

Triplicate groups of Indian catfish, Heteropneustes fossilis (Bloch), fingerlings (average wet weight 3.55 ± 0.03 g) were fed semi-purified diets containing six levels of biotin (0, 0.086, 0.26, 0.86, 2.5 and 4.3 mg kg^?1 diet) for 15 weeks. After 42 days of feeding, fish fed the control (no biotin) diet had developed severe deficiency signs characterized by convulsions, heavy mortality, listlessness, poor feed conversion and feed intake, dark skin colour, tetanus and weight loss. None of these signs was seen in fish fed biotin-supplemented diets. Among all the biotin-supplemented diets, percentage weight gain was significantly highest for fish fed the diet supplemented with 0.26 mg of biotin kg^?1 and significantly lowest for fish fed the diet supplemented with 0.086 mg of biotin kg^?1. Feed conversion ratio (FCR) and protein efficiency ratio (PER) patterns were similar to that of percentage weight gain. The carcass protein and lipid contents were influenced by the dietary biotin up to fish fed 0.26 mg of biotin kg^?1. Significantly higher body biotin content, liver pyruvate carboxylase and acetyl CoA carboxylase activities were observed in fish fed biotin-supplemented diets than in fish fed the control diet. Broken-line analyses showed that the optimum dietary requirement for biotin for maximal weight gain, body biotin content, liver pyruvate carboxylase and acetyl CoA carboxylase activities was about 0.25 mg kg^?1. Associated liver pyruvate carboxylase and acetyl CoA carboxylase activities for normal growth ranged from 105 to 120 units mg^?1 protein and from 9 to 11 units mg^?1 protein respectively.