Effect of Different Vegetable Oils on Growth and Fatty Acid Profile of Rohu (Labeo rohita, Hamilton); Evaluation of a Return Fish Oil Diet to Restore Human Cardio-protective Fatty Acids

Abstract

Two experiments in the sequential order were conducted to determine the effects of different dietary lipid sources on the growth and fatty acid composition of rohu (Labeo rohita) and to examine the viability of a return fish oil finisher diet in restoring the human cardio-protective fatty acid profile. In the first experiment, fish were fed either with coconut oil (Dl), olive oil (D2), sunflower oil (D3), linseed oil (D4) and fish oil (D5) as the main lipid source in the isonitrogenous diet for 90 days. No significant differences in growth were observed. Among the experimental diets moisture content of fish varied significantly (p<0.05) between the groups. Dietary lipid sources had a profound influence on the fatty acid profile of the muscle and liver as tissue fatty acid profile reflected the dietary fatty acid composition. Increased amounts of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid were observed in tissue of fish fed D4 and arachidonic acid was observed in the tissue of fish fed D3. We have also detected the metabolites of n-3 and n-6 pathway in D4 and D3 groups respectively, which prompted us to conclude that rohu, can desaturate and elongate C 18 essential fatty acids to C 20 and C 22 HUFA. A second feeding trial was conducted using the animals from the five different treatment groups for the duration of 30 days with fish oil rich diet (D5). Feeding with fish-oil rich washout diet resulted in the near equalization of all the other treatment groups tissue fatty acid profiles to that of fish oil (D5) fed group. These results indicate that a finishing fish oil diet can be effectively used to restore the human cardioprotective fatty acid profile in rohu fed with vegetable oils as lipid source.