article · Aquaculture Research
Kuruma shrimp were evaluated over a 56-day feeding trial to examine how dietary astaxanthin and vitamin E interact to affect growth, pigmentation, and digestive function. Six trial diets were formulated using two levels of astaxanthin and three levels of vitamin E. Shrimp fed feed containing 0.6 grams of astaxanthin and 0.2 grams of vitamin E per kilogram achieved the highest growth performance, demonstrating a significant synergistic interaction between the two nutrients. Astaxanthin supplementation significantly enhanced pigmentation and stimulated digestive enzyme activity in the hepatopancreas. Adding vitamin E reduced the rate at which astaxanthin was consumed, whilst promoting its absorption and muscular deposition. Although no interactive effects were detected for total haemocyte count or freshwater tolerance, both dietary additives supported better outcomes across these health indicators.
Feed formulation is critical to shrimp aquaculture, directly affecting production costs, animal health, and final product appearance. Because astaxanthin is an expensive dietary pigment, identifying that vitamin E improves astaxanthin absorption and muscle retention allows farmers and feed formulators to maximise nutritional efficiency, enhance flesh colouration, and improve shrimp digestive capacity using balanced dietary combinations.
This research provides applied feeding data directly relevant to commercial aquafeed manufacturers and kuruma shrimp producers. By identifying a specific ratio of 0.6 grams per kilogram astaxanthin to 0.2 grams per kilogram vitamin E, the work offers an actionable formulation target. Given that the trial was conducted directly on the target species, the findings are near-market and can be adapted into commercial diet manufacturing.
AI-generated from the published abstract. Always read the original work before citing.
A 56-day feeding trial was done to investigate the interactive effects of astaxanthin (Ax) and vitamin E (α-Toc) on the performance of kuruma shrimp (Marsupenaeus japonicus). A 2 × 3 factorial experiment was conducted with six experimental diets containing two levels of Ax (0 and 0.6 g/kg diet [Ax0 and Ax0.6]) and three levels of α-Toc (0, 0.2 and 1 g/kg diet [α-Toc0, α-Toc0.2 and α-Toc1]). The results indicated that growth performance was significantly (p < 0.05) increased in shrimp fed with the Ax0.6 × α-Toc0.2 diet. Interactive effects between Ax and α-Toc on the growth parameters were observed. Furthermore, pigmentation performance was significantly (p < 0.05) better in the Ax0.6 groups. Interaction between Ax and α-Toc was also found in the Ax content of shrimp body parts. Interestingly, dietary α-Toc helped to reduce the Ax consumption rate, promote the absorption and increase the deposition of Ax in the muscle. Shrimps from the Ax0.6 groups showed significantly (p < 0.05) improved hepatopancreatic digestive enzyme activities compared with those of the Ax0 groups. Although no interactive (p > 0.05) effects were found between dietary α-Toc and Ax on total haemocyte count and tolerance against freshwater, dietary Ax and α-Toc supplementation showed better performance on these two parameters. It was concluded that dietary Ax and α-Toc functioned synergistically, and the shrimp fed with the diet containing 0.6 g Ax/kg diet Ax and 0.2 g α-Toc/kg diet showed improved growth and pigmentation performance compared with the other groups in the current study.
This page summarises published work. The authoritative version sits with the publisher.
DOI: 10.1111/are.13993
Is something wrong with this record? Report it or request removal.
Discussion
Have you built on this work, tried to replicate it, or seen it applied in practice? Share what you know. Verified researchers and MARATTO™ domain experts can open a discussion, and any member can reply. Contributions are reviewed before they appear.
No discussion yet. Open the first thread.
New to MARATTO™? Create a free account.
