Activities of digestive enzymes during ontogenic development of golden mahseer (Tor putitora) larvae

Abstract

t investigation was undertaken to study the activities of digestive enzymes during ontogenic development of
golden mahseer. Different age groups (0 DAH, (0 day after hatching), 3 DAH, 7 DAH, 15 DAH, 21 DAH, 30 DAH and
45 DAH) of mahseer larvae were fed macerated goat liver twice daily. Samples of mahseer larvae of all studied age
groups were collected and analyzed for activities of digestive enzymes namely amylase, protease, trypsin, lipase and
alkaline phosphatase. Activities of trypsin and lipase showed similar trend expect for the first 7 DAH. Lipase activity
showed a linear increase up to 7 DAH, while trypsin activity showed no significant change during this time. Activities
of both lipase and trypsin sharply decreased on 15 DAH followed by a significant abrupt increase to a maximum on 21
DAH. Protease activity in mahseer larvae was observed even on 0 DAH and this activity was consistent till 3 DAH and
then increased followed by a decrease. Minimum amylase activity was on 0 and 3 DAH and maximum on 7 DAH.
Minimum activity of alkaline phosphatase was on 0 DAH and activity remained lower till 7 DAH followed by a sharp
increase till 30 DAH and then decreased on 45 DAH. Activities of different digestive enzymes indicated that mahseer
larvae are able to digest protein, lipid and carbohydrates at an early stage. In this study, although a sharp increase
occurred at the start of exogenous feeding, specific activity of most of digestive enzymes exhibited fluctuations.