article · Annals of Animal Science
A 70-day feeding trial evaluated the effects of adding a commercial digestive and metabolic enhancer, AQUAGEST, to low fish meal diets for common carp. The supplement, which blends medium-chain fatty acids and taurine, was tested at inclusion levels of 0, 1, 2, and 3 grammes per kilogramme of feed. Dietary supplementation produced dose-dependent improvements in fish growth rate, weight gain, feed intake, and protein efficiency, alongside a reduced feed conversion ratio. Fish receiving 2 grammes per kilogramme exhibited enhanced body lipid composition and improved gut structure, including longer and denser intestinal villi with more goblet cells. This inclusion level also lowered liver enzyme levels and elevated blood protein, globulin, and immune markers such as lysozyme and phagocytic activities. Regression analysis determined that the optimal inclusion range for the supplement in common carp feed spans from 1.63 to 2.05 grammes per kilogramme.
Reducing fish meal in commercial aquaculture diets is critical for sustainable fish farming, but alternative feeds can impair fish growth, gut health, and immunity. Demonstrating that a specific blend of medium-chain fatty acids and taurine restores growth and strengthens fish health provides a practical nutritional strategy to support the adoption of low fish meal feeds in carp production.
This applied feed additive research is directly relevant to commercial aquafeed manufacturers and fish farmers seeking to formulate low fish meal diets without compromising performance. The tested blend, AQUAGEST, is an existing formulated product applied and tested in feeding trials, suggesting the findings are near-market for feed formulators. Manufacturers can use the identified optimum dosage of 1.63 to 2.05 grammes per kilogramme to optimise carp diets.
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Abstract Four diets were prepared to include a mixture of medium-chain fatty acids and taurine as a digestive/ metabolic enhancer (DME, AQUAGEST ® ) at 0, 1, 2, and 3 g DME/kg diet and fed to common carp (initial weight, 4.55±0.03 g) for 70 days. Dietary DME significantly increased the final weight, weight gain, specific growth rate, feed intake, and protein efficiency and decreased feed conversion ratio in a dose-dependent manner (P<0.05). The body lipid composition was significantly improved by feeding DME at 2 g/kg diet (P=0.0141). The intestine villus length and the number of goblet cells were significantly increased in fish fed 2 g DME/kg diet (P<0.05). The intestinal villi displayed increased length, branching, and density by supplementing DME to common carp diets. Fish fed DME at 2 g/kg diet displayed markedly decreased aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT ) (P=0.025 and P=0.043) and increased total protein and globulin (P =0.002 and P=0.003). Additionally, fish fed 2 and 3 g DME/kg levels displayed significantly increased albumin levels (P=0.006). Lysozyme and phagocytic activities were increased by feeding DME at 2 g/kg diet, while the phagocytic index increased by 2 and 3 g/kg diet (P<0.05). The optimal supplementation level of DME is 1.63 to 2.05 g/kg for common carp based on the polynomial regression analysis. In conclusion, common carp fed diets with a mixture of medium-chain fatty acids and taurine displayed improved growth, digestion activity, and immune response.
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DOI: 10.2478/aoas-2020-0046
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