Interactive effects of mulberry leaf meal and bamboo charcoal additive on growth performance, anti-oxidant capacity, and disease resistance of genetically improved farmed tilapia (GIFT) juvenile (Oreochromis niloticus)

Abstract

This study investigated the interactive effects of mulberry leaf meals (MLM) and bamboo charcoal additive (BCA) on growth performance, anti-oxidant capacity, and disease resistance of genetically improved farmed tilapia (GIFT) juveniles (Oreochromis niloticus). An 8-week (56-day) feeding trial of 2 × 3 factorial experiment was carried out wherein fish were fed with six diets containing graded levels of MLM (15 %, 30 %) and BCA (0.4 %, 0.8 %, 1.2 %). The results showed that different amounts of MLM and interaction between MLM and BCA influenced the growth performance of GIFT (P < 0.05). Plasma high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), total cholesterol (TC) and triglycerides (TG) were reduced in fish fed 15 % MLM supplemented with 0.4 % BCA (P < 0.05). Total anti-oxidant capacity (T-AOC) and glutathione (GSH) were enhanced in the liver of GIFT fed diets containing 30 % MLM supplemented with 0.4 % BCA (P < 0.05). After we challenged the fish with Streptococcus agalactiae, we observed the lowest mortality rate in the group fed a high amount of MLM (30 %) and low amount of BCA (0.4 %). The results revealed that it was acceptable to fed GIFT mulberry leaf meal supplemented with bamboo charcoal additive. The diet containing 30 % of mulberry leaf meal and 0.4 % bamboo charcoal additive improved the growth performance, blood lipid metabolism, anti-oxidant and anti-disease capacity of GIFT juveniles.