Supplementation of a Commercial Diet of European Seabass by an Algal Ethanolic Extract of Ulva lactuca

  • Sofia PAPPOU Department of Marine sciences, University of Aegean, University Hill, Lesvos Island, 81100 Mytilene, Greece
  • Vasileios BAKOPOULOS Department of Marine sciences, University of Aegean, University Hill, Lesvos Island, 81100 Mytilene, Greece
  • Michail Angelos VALSAMIDIS Department of Marine sciences, University of Aegean, University Hill, Lesvos Island, 81100 Mytilene, Greece
  • Magdalini KROKIDA School of Chemical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Iroon Polytechniou Str., 15780 Athens, Greece
  • Ioannis BATJAKAS Department of Marine sciences, University of Aegean, University Hill, Lesvos Island, 81100 Mytilene, Greece
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15835/buasvmcn-fst:2023.0026
Keywords: Aquaculture; fishfeed; algal extracts; feed additives.

Abstract

Ulva spp. has been investigated as a feed additive with promising results, while literature concerning the use of its ethanolic extracts on the European seabass diet is scarce. Such extracts have shown promising results towards the reduction of the use of antibiotics and the improvement of the final product quality in the aquaculture industry. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of a Ulva lactuca extract of high antioxidant activity as a result of extraction process optimization on the growth performance and flesh biochemical composition of Dicentrarchus labrax. 450 fingerlings were separated into three experimental groups, and fed with supplemented diets at 1% and 3% w/w Ulva extract inclusion for 8 weeks. The specific growth rate of fish subjected to 3% inclusion increased at a rate of ~28% during the trial, while flesh mineral content was found to be ~15% higher than the control population (p<0.05). Total protein content was found to be lower for fish subjected to 1% inclusion of the extract (p<0.05) while total lipid content exhibited no significant differences between all tested diets (p>0.05). Results of this study indicate that the targeted extraction of bioactive compounds from algae can potentially result in overcoming drawbacks regarding their digestibility and subsequently improve their use in the aquaculture industry.

Published
2024-11-15
Issue
Vol. 81 No. 2 (2024): BULLETIN OF UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES AND VETERINARY MEDICINE CLUJ-NAPOCA. FOOD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Section
Short communications
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