Effects of Dietary Fish Oil Replacement with Palm Oil on the Growth, Feed Utilization, Biochemical Composition, and Antioxidant Status of Juvenile Chu's Croaker, Nibea coibor

Abstract

AbstractA 56‐d feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the growth performance, feed utilization, biochemical composition, and antioxidant status of chu's croaker, Nibea coibor (12.6 ± 0.1 g) in net pens fed diets supplemented with various levels of crude palm oil: 0% fish oil (FO), 20% palm oil (2PO), 40% (4PO), 60% (6PO), 80% (8PO), and 100% (10PO). Weight gain and specific growth rate (SGR) were significantly lower in fish fed 8PO and 10PO diets. The increase of PO levels did not affect fish survival, feed intake, and feed conversion ratio. Feeding diet 10PO led to significantly higher lipid content in the liver, but not the whole body and dorsal muscle, than diets FO and 2PO. PO supplementation led to increased α‐tocopherol, but decreased thiobarbituric acid‐reactive substances, n‐3 highly unsaturated fatty acid (n‐3 HUFA), and n‐3/n‐6 fatty acid ratio, in both the liver and muscle. Hepatic superoxide dismutase and catalase were significantly higher in fish fed 10PO diet than FO diet. Polynomial regression analysis showed that the maximum SGR was obtained at 24.2% crude PO. Results of this study suggested that PO could replace up to 60% of FO without adverse effect on growth performance or nutritional quality of fish.