A 10‐week feeding trial of using housefly (Musca domestica) maggot meal (MM) in practical feeds for Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) was conducted to assess the growth performance, ingredient utilization, flesh quality, innate immunity and its influence on water environment. Fish were fed five isonitrogenous and isoenergetic diets, where fishmeal (FM) was substituted by MM at the level of 0, 90, 180, 270 and 360 g kg‐1 diet (remaining FM content: 360, 270, 180, 90 and 0 g kg‐1). There was no significant difference in feed intake and apparent digestibility coefficient between the treatments. Replacing up to 270 g kg‐1 FM did not have an impact on the growth performance and ingredient utilization, whereas the complete replacement of FM caused significantly lower survival rate, weight gain, specific growth rate and higher feed conversion rate. Dietary MM was also proved positively influential in flesh quality, whereas replacing 180 g kg‐1 or more FM suppressed the innate immunity of tilapia. When compared by the effects on the water environment, the increasing substitute levels were accompanied with the declining concentrations of nitrite nitrogen and total phosphorus in the water. Our study verified the feasibility of using MM as a partial substitute of FM in aquatic feed. When replacing 180 g kg‐1 FM (corresponding to half of the FM content in control diet) in the diet of Nile tilapia, it can serve as a renewable and environmentally superior alternative without compromising the performance criteria.

No abstract

An 8‐week feeding trial was conducted to investigate the effect of dietary selenium (Se) on feed intake, weight gain and antioxidant activity in juvenile grass carp (11.2 ± 0.03 g). Six Se levels (0.13, 0.41, 0.56, 1.12, 2.18 and 4.31 mg/kg) of semi‐purified diets were assayed in triplicate. The maximum weight gain, specific growth rate and feed intake were obtained in fish fed with 1.12 mg Se/kg diet. Hepatic glutathione peroxidase activity was markedly increased when dietary Se ≤1.12 mg/kg diet and reached a plateau when dietary Se ≥1.12 mg/kg diet. Hepatic superoxide dismutase and serum catalase activities in juvenile grass carp fed with 0.56, 1.12 and 2.18 mg Se/kg diets were all significantly higher than those in the other groups. The malondialdehyde content in liver and serum was firstly decreased and then increased with increasing dietary Se content, and the lowest content was observed in fish fed with 1.12 mg Se/kg diet. With the increase in Se level, the activities of serum alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase were reduced. In addition, serum alkaline phosphatase activity and albumin content were highest in fish fed with 1.12 mg Se/kg diet. This study indicated that both the Se deficiency and excess of Se caused negative effect on the oxidative stress in juvenile grass carp and suggested that the health‐giving concentration of dietary inorganic Se was 1.12 mg/kg diet. Moreover, based on the broken‐line regression analysis of weight gain, the optimal concentration of dietary inorganic Se was 0.83 mg/kg for juvenile grass carp.

No abstract

A feeding trial was conducted for 8 weeks to evaluate the effects of supplemental phytic acid (PA) on the apparent digestibility and utilization of dietary amino acids

An 8-week feeding trial was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary rapeseed meal (RM) and glutathione supplementation (400 mg kg À1 ) on growth and intestinal microbiota of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus). Dietary 450 g kg À1 RM decreased growth and feed intake, while increased the activities of serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine transaminase (ALT). The hepatic damages were also observed the significant lower condition factor (CF), hepatosomatic index (HSI) and the symbol of parenchymal damage. Glutathione supplementation increased weight gain and feed intake while significantly decreased the three serum biochemistry parameters compared with the RM group. In addition, HSI, CF and pathology reports revealed that glutathione supplementation alleviated the damage caused by RM on the fish liver. In addition, glutathione had a positive effect on the intestinal digestive capacity. PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis indicated a higher similarity between dietary glutathione supplementation and control group. In conclusion, we demonstrated dietary 450 g kg À1 rapeseed meal lead to negative health outcomes, while glutathione supplementation neutralize the adverse effect of rapeseed meal presented in aqua feed through alleviating the damage factors on the fish liver.

No abstract

The full-length complementary DNA of two genes related to vertebrate albinism, the tyrosinase gene tyr and tyrosinase-related protein 1 gene tyrp1, were cloned and analysed from normal and albino yellow catfish Tachysurus fulvidraco. The open reading frames (ORF) of tyr and tyrp1 encode putative peptides of 533 and 526 amino acids (amino-acid), both of which possess two conserved copper binding sites. The homologous identities of deduced amino-acid sequences showed that both Tyr and Tyrp1 of T. fulvidraco share considerable similarity with that of channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus. Both tyr and tyrp1 were expressed in a wide range of adult tissues. Tyr gene had the highest expression level in the brain of both normal and albino T. fulvidraco. Tyrp1 had the highest expression level in the skin of normal groups, and the fin of albino groups. The messenger (m)RNA expressions of tyr and tyrp1 were detectable at different early developmental stages and varied with embryonic and larval growth. Tyr and tyrp1 mRNA have obvious tissue specificity both in normal and albino T. fulvidraco and higher expression levels were detected in the normal group revealing that tyr and tyrp1 may have an important role in pigmentation. These results will provide useful data for understanding the molecular mechanism of melanin formation and the occurrence of albinism in T. fulvidraco.