Effect of Dietary Vitamin C on Tissue Vitamin C Concentration in Channel Catfish,Ictalurus punctatus,and Clearance Rate at Two Temperatures-A Preliminary Investigation

Four trials were conducted with channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, under controlled laboratory conditions or in earthen ponds, to evaluate effects of dietary vitamin C concentration and feeding period on liver and anterior kidney vitamin C concentration. Clearance rate of vitamin C in liver and anterior kidney was also evaluated in unfed fish or fish fed a vitamin C-free diet. Results indicated that tissue vitamin C concentration is generally proportional to deitary vitamin C concentration, and that it may reach a maximum concentration within 2 weeks in fish fed diets containing vitamin C. Tissue vitamin C may be reduced to a minimum concentration within 2 weeks when fish were not fed or fed with a vitamin C-free diet at a high temprerature (31°). As temperature was reduced from 31 to 10°C there was a 44% and 13.6% drop in liver and anterior kidney vitamin C concentrations, respectively. At 10°C tissue vitamin C remained relatively constant (100 to 120 mg/g for liver, and 200 to 250 mg/g for anterior kidney) for at least 12 weeks if tissue vitamin C was saturated prior to reducing water temperature. Liver vitamin C appeared to be affected more dramatically by dietary vitamin C concentration and cleared more rapidly than anterior kidney during times of vitamin C deficiency.