Ichthyometry and electrical bioimpedance analysis to estimate the body composition of tambatinga

Abstract

Body composition analysis is relevant to characterize the nutritional requirements and finishing phase of fish. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between ichthyometric (weight, total and standard length, density and yields), bromatological (fat, protein, ash and water content) and bioelectrical-impedance-analysis (BIA) (resistance, reactance, phase angle and composition indexes) variables in the hybrid tambatinga (Colossoma macropomum × Piaractus brachypomus). In a non-fertilized vivarium, 520 juveniles were housed and fed commercial rations. Then, 136 days after hatching (DAH), 15 fish with an average weight of 37.69 g and average total length of 12.96 cm were randomly chosen, anesthetized (eugenol) and subjected to the first of fourteen fortnightly assessments (BIA and biometry). After euthanasia, the following parts were weighed: whole carcass with the head, fillet, and skin (WC); fillet with skin (FS); and the remainder of the carcass with the head (CH). Together, FS and CH were ground and homogenized for the bromatological analyses. Estimates of the body composition and yields of tambatinga, with models including ichthyometric and BIA variables, showed correlation coefficients ranging from 0.81 (for the FS yield) to 1,00 (for the total ash). Similarly, models that included only BIA variables had correlation coefficients ranging from 0.81 (FS and CH yields) to 0.98 (for the total ash). Therefore, in tambatinga, the BIA technique allows the estimation of the yield of the fillet with skin and the body composition (water content, fat, ash, and protein). The best models combine ichthyometric and BIA variables.

Bioimpedance as a tool for evaluating the body composition of suruvi (Steindachneridion scriptum)

“…BIA has already been used to successfully determine the body compositions of different fish species (Cox and Hartman, 2005;Duncan, 2008;Andrade et al, 2014), although certain authors have argued that improvements remain necessary before BIA approaches can become a useful tool for fish farming (Bosworth and Wolters, 2001;Pothoven et al, 2008). We note that particular care (regarding room temperature and the position of needles, for instance) is required during BIA readings to minimize errors.…”

“…The potential use of BIA measurements to estimate the body composition of live fish over time, both in marine (Willis and Hobday, 2008) and freshwater fish (Andrade et al, 2014), could provide benefits for both scientists and fish farmers. In the context of fisheries, for instance, BIA measurements could be used to evaluate the nutritional status of a certain population of S. scriptum in different environments or along the years.…”

“…Electrical conductivity methods have been employed in the agriculture and veterinary industries as a tool for quickly, non-destructively, and economically evaluating the body compositions of different animals, including poultry (Hyánková and Szebestová, 2010), swine (Mitchell and Scholz, 2009), and cattle (Bertemes-Filho et al, 2010); however, few studies of these methods have been performed with aquatic animals, and only one study with a South American freshwater fish, in this case a hybrid species (Colossoma macropomum (Cuvier, 1816) × Piaractus brachypomus (Cuvier, 1818)) with great interests for fish farming (Andrade et al, 2014).…”

Cloning and tissue distribution of appetite‐regulating peptides in pirapitinga (Piaractus brachypomus)

“…Hybrids of fish obtained by crossing pacu, pirapitinga and tambaqui [e.g. tambatinga, a hybrid species of tambaqui and pirapitinga (Andrade et al., )] have been produced on a large scale by the aquaculture industry (Orti et al., ; Hashimoto et al., , ). Culture and breeding of pirapitinga for aquaculture and aquarium trade has also become popular in India, after being illegally introduced (Chatterjee and Mazumdar, ; Singh and Lakra, ; Roshni et al., ).…”

Study differentiating fish oocyte developmental stages using bioimpedance spectroscopy

“…Bioimpedance is also used in other applications related to fish studies. For instance, bioimpedance measurements have been used to optimize nutritional requirements through the estimation of body composition (Duncan et al, 2007;Andrade et al, 2014). It is considered as an effective tool for assessing the body compositions of different animals in a fast, non-lethal and low-cost manner (Zaniboni-Filho et al, 2015).…”