Dietary arginine requirement of Heteropneustes fossilis fry (Bloch) based on growth, nutrient retention and haematological parameters

Abstract

Dietary arginine requirement of Heteropneustes fossilis fry (3.0 ± 0.5 cm; 5.1 ± 0.3 g) was determined by feeding casein‐gelatin‐based isonitrogenous (400 g kg−1 crude protein) and isocaloric (17.97 kJ g−1) amino acid test diets containing graded levels of l‐arginine (15, 17, 19, 21, 23 and 25 g kg−1 dry diet) for 12 weeks. Maximum absolute weight gain (AWG) (44.4), best feed conversion ratio (FCR) (1.22), highest protein retention efficiency (PRE%) (41%), energy retention efficiency (ERE%) (75%), best condition factor, hepatosomatic index and viscerosomatic index were noted at 21 g kg−1 arginine of the dry diet. Maximum body protein (189.8 g kg−1) was also obtained in fish fed above diet. Highest haematocrit value (35%), Hb concentration (9.54 g dL−1), RBC count (3.44 × 109 mL−1) and lowest Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) (1.93 mm h−1) were obtained at the above level of arginine in the diet. AWG, FCR, PRE% and ERE% data were analysed using broken‐line and an exponential fit to obtain more precise dietary arginine requirement. On the basis of broken‐line and exponential analyses of AWG, FCR, PRE and ERE data, inclusion of dietary arginine in the range of 20.4–22.6 g kg−1 dry diet, corresponding to 51–56.5 g kg−1 dietary protein, is recommended for formulating arginine‐balanced feeds for rearing H. fossilis fry.

Dietary arginine requirement of juvenile red sea bream Pagrus major

“…A similar tendency to that of whole-body was observed for muscle composition but protein content was not significantly different among treatments. These results are in agreement with previous studies on Indian major carp (Ahmed and Khan, 2004), black sea bream (Zhou et al, 2010) and H. fossilis (Khan and Abidi, 2011). Arginine is one of the most versatile amino acids and is a crucial precursor for protein synthesis (Wu and Morris, 1998).…”

“…Analysis of hematological parameters provides valuable information on metabolic disorders, deficiencies and chronic stress status (Bahmani et al, 2001). Previous studies showed the changes in blood components in response to dietary supplementation of EAAs (Huai et al, 2009;Khan and Abidi, 2011;Zhou et al, 2010). Also, our previous study exhibited the significant effect of dietary valine on red sea bream hematology (Rahimnejad and Lee, 2013).…”

Protein-Sparing Ability of Carbohydrates from Different Sources in Diets for Fry of Stinging Catfish Heteropneustes fossilis

“…The whole-body protein of H. fossilis fry increased with dietary protein and correlated negatively with body moisture. Similar findings have been reported for other fish species (Hidalgo et al 1993;Khan & Abidi 2011). Moisture content showed an inverse relationship with carcass lipid when dietary protein level was increased.…”

Growth Performance, Feed Utilization and Body Composition of Clarias gariepinus (Burchell 1822) Fed Marine Fish Viscera-based-diet in Earthen Ponds

“…African catfish C. gariepinus is a globally popular aquaculture species largely distributed throughout Africa and Asia [2,[14][15][16][17][18]. It is widely cultured in freshwater ponds because of their easiness in reproduction, high growth rate, tolerance to high densities culture conditions, resistance to diseases, excellent flesh quality and ability to accept a wide variety of feed [15][16][17]19].…”

“…It is widely cultured in freshwater ponds because of their easiness in reproduction, high growth rate, tolerance to high densities culture conditions, resistance to diseases, excellent flesh quality and ability to accept a wide variety of feed [15][16][17]19]. The technics culture for the full life cycle of African catfish has been well-established and the global production of this species has been increased from 11.8 tons in 2000 to 517.4 tons in 2010 [20].…”