article · Fishes
Supplying aquaculture feeds with natural additives can improve fish health and production efficiency. In a four-week feeding trial involving juvenile Nile tilapia, researchers evaluated the impacts of adding nano-curcumin alone and in combination with chitosan to feed. Fish fed these supplements displayed marked improvements in growth metrics, including higher body mass gain and a substantially reduced feed conversion ratio. The supplements also enhanced digestive enzyme activity, increased immune markers such as immunoglobulin M and lysozyme activity, and improved antioxidant capacity by boosting protective enzymes and reducing oxidative stress markers. Additionally, treated fish exhibited better gut morphology, characterized by larger intestinal villi, alongside reduced stress indicators and liver enzymes. These combined physical, biochemical, and genetic responses indicate that nano-curcumin and chitosan blends serve as effective feed additives to enhance Nile tilapia productivity and wellbeing.
Nile tilapia is a major species in global aquaculture, where maintaining rapid growth and disease resistance is essential for productivity. Identifying natural feed additives such as nano-curcumin and chitosan helps fish farming operations enhance feed efficiency, support fish immune defences, and improve gut health without relying on synthetic chemicals or antibiotics.
This research provides early-stage experimental evidence for aquafeed manufacturers and commercial fish farmers looking to develop functional feeds. The findings show clear biological efficacy at specific low inclusion rates in a four-week trial. However, the technology remains at an applied research stage, requiring commercial field trials, cost-benefit analyses, and scale-up assessments of the nano-curcumin and chitosan blending process before adoption in farm environments.
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This study aimed to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation with nano-curcumin (NCur) and a nano-curcumin/chitosan blend (NCur/Ch) on growth performance, digestibility, immune response, antioxidant status, intestinal morphometric characters, and gene regulation in Nile tilapia. Fish (n = 180, initial body weight = 12.0 ± 0.53 g) received supplementary NCur at rates of 0 (control), 0.00625, and 0.0125, and NCur/Ch at rates of 0.00625 + 0.5 g/kg diet for 4 weeks. Growth performance parameters (final weight and length, body mass gain, specific growth, and length gain rates) were markedly increased, and the feed conversion ratio was significantly decreased in the NCur- and NCur/Ch-supplemented groups. Digestive enzyme (amylase), immune response markers (immunoglobulin M, nitrous oxide, and lysozyme activity), plasma albumin, and total protein were increased significantly, mainly with a diet supplemented with 0.00625 g NCur/kg. Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), glucose, and cortisol levels decreased in the supplemented groups compared to the control. Significantly increased glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were observed in the NCur/Ch group. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity was improved in the 0.0125 NCur group. Intestinal morphometric characters, including villus length, width, interspace, and goblet cell abundance, were increased to cope with improved growth performance and were associated with upregulation of insulin-like growth factor 1 (igf-1) and complement C-5 (cc5) compared to the control group. Therefore, NCur and an NCur/Ch blend could be supplemented in the Nile tilapia diets as a natural alternative to promote growth, digestion, immune status, liver function, antioxidant status, and related gene expression in O. niloticus.
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DOI: 10.3390/fishes8070333
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