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The aim of the present work was to obtain the lipid utilization of Octopus vulgaris supplying formulated semi-moist diets with different contents in cod oil (reduced from water content): 0 g kg−1 (A0, 138 g kg−1 lipids DW; N = 4), 100 g kg−1 (A100, 286 g kg−1 lipids DW; N = 6) and 200 g kg−1 (A200, 388 g kg−1 lipids DW; N = 6). The rest of the ingredients were constant in the three diets: 200 g kg−1 gelatin, 100 g kg−1 egg yolk powder, 150 g kg−1 freeze-dried Todarodes sagittatus and 50 g kg−1 freeze-dried Sardinella aurita). Survival was 100% with the three diets. The highest absolute feeding (15.8 ± 1.2 g day−1), growth (9.6 ± 1.4 g day−1; 0.91% BW day−1) and feed efficiency rates (60.3%) were obtained with diet A0. This diet also showed greater retention of lipid and protein than A100 and A200. Protein digestibility was above 95% in all of the diets. Only diet A0 led to a high lipid digestibility coefficient (81.25%), which fell drastically to 12.3% in A200. It was notable the high polar lipid digestibility rates (83–89%) respect to neutral lipids (2–87%) in all diets. The best results were obtained with lipid feeding rates of around 1 g day−1 and a suitable lipid content on 130–140 g kg−1 DW in formulated diets for O. vulgaris.

This work was financed by JACUMAR (Secretary of Sea, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment) and Conselleria d'Agricultura, Pesca, Alimentacio i Aigua (Generalitat Valenciana).

Growth, feed efficiency and proximate and lipid class composition of subadults Octopus vulgaris (788 ± 133 g; 18.5°C) fed formulated diets of low lipid (LL: 8 g kg−1) and high lipid levels (HL: 84 g kg−1) and each one of these with three different levels of glutamate supplementation (0, 5 and 20 g kg−1) were compared. All the animals accepted the diets with a survival of 100%. The addition of glutamate did not stimulate feeding rates in any of the assays (2.48–2.64 and 1.86–2.01%Body weight day−1 for LL and HL, respectively; P > 0.05). The best growth, feed efficiency and protein productive value were observed in the groups fed 5 or 20 g kg−1 glutamate supplementation at both lipid levels, with significant differences for LL diet (P

In this work, we study the variations in concentration (mg 100 g−1 dry weight) and total content (mg individual−1) of different lipid classes in muscle and the digestive gland of Octopus vulgaris during an 8-day starvation period. In all the samples analysed, polar lipids (PL) predominated in muscle (267.3–337.2 mg 100 g−1) compared with neutral lipids (66.9–104.7 mg 100 g−1). A significant positive tendency was observed in muscle for the content and concentration of monoglycerides as a consequence of starvation (P

Sediment cores were taken from impacted and non-impacted areas and subjected to different incubations: (i) uninoculated, (ii) inoculated with fish feed and (iii) inoculated with gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) faeces. After inoculation (or not), the cores were incubated for 8 h and the following biogeochemical fluxes were determined: sediment oxygen uptake (SOU), total ammonia nitrogen flux (TANf) and the production of acid volatile sulphides (AVS-Sp). The results showed that the impacted sediments had a more pronounced benthic metabolism than non-impacted sediments. Correlations between the variables and factorial analysis showed that oxygen consumption caused by the organic enrichment appeared as the trigger for subsequent biogeochemical alterations. The addition of faeces led to proportionally higher benthic rates of SOU, TANf and AVS-Sp than those obtained in the feed incubations. Although the feed is relatively sterile and does not create an oxygen demand until colonized by bacteria, the faeces are already richly colonized with fish gut bacteria and could start to consume oxygen without the lag phase experienced in the incubations with feed. The TANf values measured after the addition of feed or faeces seem to be more related to the leaching velocity of TAN than with the benthic flux, given the short incubation time.

Four ongrowing cycles of common octopus (Octopus vulgaris), each with two stocking densities, were carried out in an offshore area in order to evaluate the effect of the following variables on growth (G, % body weight day−1) and mortality (M, % day−1): weight (W, 0.5–3.0 kg), temperature (T, 14–26 °C), stocking density (SD, 6–46 kg m−3), size dispersion, expressed as coefficient of variation (CV, 13–42%) and significant wave height (SWH: 0.4–1.2 m). The assays were performed in an 8 m3 stainless-steel floating cage divided into two compartments of 4 m3 each. For the range of temperatures considered (14–26 °C), G depended significantly on T and SWH, with maximum G values being obtained at 18.5 °C and with an important negative effect of SWH. M depended significantly on T, W and CV, mortality being minimal at 18 °C. The two other variables had an antagonistic effect, mortality increasing with greater size dispersion – suggesting that animals should be graded throughout the process – although the effect diminished as the sizes increased. The results point towards two alternatives for the commercial ongrowing of octopus under the particular conditions of the present study: (A) two ongrowing cycles of 3.5 months to reach a final weight of 2.5 kg or (B) one 5-month cycle to reach a final weight of 3.5 kg.