Dietary administration of marine oil on growth and enzymatic activity of Macrobrachium rosenbergii

Abstract

Feeding trial was conducted to study the efficiency of the dietary administration of marine oil on survival, growth and enzymatic activity of freshwater prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergi for 112 days. Five test diets were formulated using the locally available feed ingredients namely, fish meal, groundnut cake, rice bran, tapioca flour and vitamin mineral premix. Diets contained 35% crude protein with graded lipid levels. Sardine oil was incorporated at 4 levels and the corresponding total lipid levels were 8.11, 10.24, 12.28 and 14.33%, while diet without sardine oil (6.05% total lipid) served as control. Significantly higher weight gain of prawn was recorded in the treatment with 6.07% sardine oil (12.28% total lipid). Growth parameters such as SGR, FCR and PER were better for the same dietary treatment. The highest RNA/DNA ratio in the muscle of prawn was recorded in the treatment which had 8.07% sardine oil (14.33% total lipid), which is significantly different from other diets, except 6.07% sardine oil treatment. Digestive enzyme analysis in the digestive tract and mid-gut gland of M. rosenbergii showed greater activity in 8.07% dietary treatment.