Abstract
The potential nutritional value of duckweed Lemna minor (Lemnaceae) was evaluated for common carp Cyprinus carpio fry. Fish were fed diets containing five graded levels of duckweed: 0% (LM0, control), 5% (LM5), 10% (LM10), 15% (LM15) and 20% (LM20). The final weight and specific growth rate were significantly higher in LM15 and LM20 diets fed fish compared to others. Feed conversion ratio was minimum in fish fed diet LM20. Amylase activity was significantly higher in LM0 treatment. Total protease, trypsin and chymotrypsin activities showed linear relationships with the increased level of duckweed in the diet. Protein and essential amino acids contents were significantly higher in carp fed diets LM15 and LM20 compared to others. Lipid content was significantly higher in fish fed duckweed-based diets compared to control. A direct relationship was found between the inclusion level of duckweed in the diet and n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LC-PUFA) content of carp. Contents of desaturated and elongated products of dietary linolenic acid (18:3n-3) including 20:4n-3, 20:5n-3, 22:5n-3 and 22:6n-3 increased in a graded manner with increasing dietary duckweed. The monounsaturated fatty acids and n-6 PUFA contents reduced significantly in fish fed duckweed. Expression of fads2d6, elovl2, elovl5 and fas were higher in carp fed diets LM10, LM15 and LM20 compared to control fish. The inclusion of L. minor in diet enhanced the nutritional value of carp by increasing protein, lipid, amino acids and n-3 PUFA contents.
Highlights
The potential nutritional value of duckweed Lemna minor (Lemnaceae) was evaluated for common carp Cyprinus carpio fry
The overall aim of the present study is to evaluate the duckweed Lemna minor as a replacement for plant meals such as soybean meal in extruded pelleted diets for common carp Cyprinus carpio
The final weight of carp fed diets LM15 (2.50 ± 0.012 g) and LM20 (2.66 ± 0.023 g) were significantly higher compared to the fish fed the other diets (Table 1)
Summary
The potential nutritional value of duckweed Lemna minor (Lemnaceae) was evaluated for common carp Cyprinus carpio fry. Protein and essential amino acids contents were significantly higher in carp fed diets LM15 and LM20 compared to others. A direct relationship was found between the inclusion level of duckweed in the diet and n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (LC-PUFA) content of carp. The inclusion of L. minor in diet enhanced the nutritional value of carp by increasing protein, lipid, amino acids and n-3 PUFA contents. Omega-3 (n-3) long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA), eicosapentaenoic (EPA, 20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic (DHA, 22:6n-3) acids are essential dietary nutrients for vertebrates including humans and fish[18,19]. They play important roles in many physiological processes like neural development, immune and inflammatory responses[18]. One potential option for increasing the amount of n-3 LC-PUFA available to human populations is to exploit the endogenous ability of freshwater fish species to produce EPA and DHA from A LA20
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