Abstract
A nutritional feeding experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of shrimp paste on feeding attractiveness, growth performance, digestive enzyme activities, immune-related genes and intestinal morphology in hybrid snakehead (Channa maculata ♀ × Channa argus ♂). Two diets were formulated with or without shrimp paste supplementation (D1:0% and D2: 3%) to feed fish for 8 weeks. Results showed that growth performance (FBW, WG and SGR) and feed intake (FI) significantly increased with shrimp paste supplemented (P < 0.05), while FCR and SR of hybrid snakehead fed diets supplemented with shrimp paste or not showed no significant difference (P > 0.05). Gut lipase and amylase activities were significantly higher in diet supplemented with shrimp paste than that in control one (P < 0.05). Hepatic antioxidant statuses of hybrid snakehead fed dietary shrimp paste or not showed no significant differences in total antioxidant capacity, malondialdehyde and superoxide dismutase of fish (P > 0.05). Results showed that fish fed diet with shrimp paste supplemented did not show significant difference in expression of GR, IκB, P65 and IL8 than that in control group (P > 0.05). There are significantly more goblet cells in shrimp paste supplemented diet than that in control diet (P < 0.05). However, villi length and muscle thickness showed no significant difference compared to control diet (P > 0.05). The results indicated that dietary 3% shrimp paste supplementation improved the growth performance of hybrid snakehead by enhancing feed intake (FI) while made no difference to antioxidant capacity and immunity.
Highlights
MATERIALS AND METHODSCarnivorous fish usually require well above 30% protein for optimum growth (Lindner et al, 1995) and fishmeal is the main protein source for carnivorous fish in commercial feed
Feed conversion ratio (FCR) of snakehead fed diet supplemented with shrimp paste showed no significant difference with that in control group (P > 0.05), while feed intake (FI) of snakehead fed diet supplemented with shrimp paste was significantly higher than that in control group (P < 0.05)
There was no significant difference among hepatosomatic indices (HSI), visceral somatic indices (VSI) and condition factor (CF) between the two different diet treatments
Summary
Carnivorous fish usually require well above 30% protein for optimum growth (Lindner et al, 1995) and fishmeal is the main protein source for carnivorous fish in commercial feed. High content of plant protein sources can result in lower feed intake (FI) caused by low feed palatability (Nunes et al, 2006) To solve these problems, attractants was mainly used to enhance the utilization of feed (Tusche et al, 2011). Hybrid snakehead requires high content of protein in feed, being fishmeal usually considered as the most adequate protein source (Zhang et al, 2017). The current study was conducted to evaluate the effect of dietary shrimp paste in practical diets on the feed attractiveness, growth performance and digestive enzyme activities, antioxidant and immunological status and intestinal morphology of hybrid snakehead (C. maculata × C. argus). Moisture Crude protein Crude lipid Ash Animo acid Cholesterol EAA/TAA EAA/NAA Glu Asp Gly. The shrimp paste is offered by Shunde Xinfuda Bioengineering Company Ltd., Shunde, China. Statistical significance was examined at P < 0.05 unless otherwise noted
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