Requirements of marine shrimp, Penaeus monodon, juveniles for phosphatidylcholine and cholesterol

Abstract

The effects of dietary phospholipids and cholesterol on the growth, survival and body lipid compositions of juvenile Penaeus monodon (initial mean weight 0.45±0.14 g) were examined using purified soy phosphatidylcholine (80% purity) as the phospholipid. Three levels of supplemental cholesterol, 0, 0.5 and 1%, were tested in combination with four levels (0, 1.25, 2.5 and 5%) of phosphatidylcholine. The results of the 4-week growth experiment indicated that dietary supplementation of phosphatidylcholine or cholesterol significantly improved shrimp weight gain but not sur-vival. The effectiveness of cholesterol was not affected by the dietary inclusion of phosphatidylcholine and the inverse was also true. The optimum supplemental levels of cholesterol and phosphatidylcholine for P. monodon juveniles were estimated to be 0.5% and 1.25%, respectively. Total lipid content and lipid class compositions of the hepatopancreas were not influenced by the dietary supplementation of phosphatidylcholine or cholesterol. Increased supplementation of cholesterol resulted in increased total lipid content of muscle, while in response to increased dietary phosphatidylcholine supplement, shrimp showed decreased phosphatidylcholine and increased free fatty acid levels in their muscle. Contents of n−3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in the muscle seemed to decrease with increased phosphatidylcholine supplement.