Influence of dietary prebiotic mixture (α-mune) on growth performance, haematology and innate immunity of Beluga sturgeon (Huso huso) juvenile

Abstract

The present study investigated the effects of prebiotic (α-mune), a mixture of mannan oligosaccharide, β-1,3 and β-1,6 glucan, on the growth performance, haematology and innate immunity of beluga sturgeon ( Huso huso ) juvenile. Fish (46±3 g) were allocated into 12 tanks (15 fish per tank) and triplicate groups were fed a control diet or diets containing 1.5, 3.0 and 4.5 g kg -1 prebiotic for 46 days. Fish fed 1.5 g kg -1 prebiotic displayed significantly higher final weight, specific growth rate and feed conversion ratio. WBC, RBC, MCV, MCH, haemoglobin, haematocrit and lymphocyte levels were also significantly higher in the fish fed 1.5 g kg -1 prebiotic. Furthermore, the highest haematocrit content and lymphocyte level were found in the fish fed a diet containing 1.5 g kg -1 prebiotic. Alternative complement activity (ACH50), lysozyme activity and Ig concentration were significantly higher in the fed 1.5 g kg -1 prebiotic. These results indicate that α-mune can be considered as a beneficial dietary supplement for improving the growth performance, haematological and immunological parameters of beluga sturgeon juvenile.