Effects of replacing fishmeal with dietary dried distillers grains with solubles on growth, serum biochemical indices, antioxidative functions, and disease resistance for Litopenaeus vannamei juveniles

Abstract

This research was conducted to assess the effects of replacing fishmeal (FM) with dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) at various levels (D0 (0 %), D2 (2 %), D4 (4 %), D6 (6 %), D8 (8 %), D12 (12 %), and D16 (16 %)) on the growth, proximate body composition, serum biochemical indices, antioxidant activities, histology, and disease resistance in juvenile Pacific whiteleg shrimp. Forty shrimp per tank were stocked in seven different tanks with three replicates of each treatment group with an initial weight of 0.23 ± 0.00 g. Their respective experimental diets were used to feed shrimp for 56 days. The results showed an enhancement in shrimp fed dietary DDGS (D8) diets on the growth performance, including final weight, weight gain, acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, glucose, and total antioxidant capacity in the serum (P < 0.05). Decreased FCR and High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol were observed in shrimp fed DDGS (D8) diets in serum compared to D0. No severe changes and significant differences in villus height and intestinal wall thickness were observed in the shrimp hepatopancreas and mid-gut among treatment groups. Furthermore, disease resistance increased in shrimp fed the DDGS diet, with D8 obtaining the lowest mortality rate, 50.9 %, compared to the control group (D0), 68.3 %. In summary, regarding all the factors, replacing FM with DDGS at D8 (8 %) in the shrimp diet could modulate and cater to overall growth performance, health and immunity, histology and disease resistance in shrimp.