Abstract
The digestibility of alkanes has been investigated in rainbow trout Salmo gairdneri R. using an indicator method, based on the utilisation of chromic oxide as a marker. Fish were fed experimental diets containing 1% of pristane, or dodecylcyclohexane, or a mixture of n-paraffins (from C 14 plus C 24). Faeces were collected automatically during 7 days. The absorption of n-alkanes in trout was found to follow a parabolic relationship with carbon chain length of these compounds. The maximum digestibility was observed for pentadecane. Moreover, for the same total carbon number, straight-chain saturated hydrocarbons were preferentially retained over cycloalkanes but less absorbed than branched-paraffins.
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