Effects of different dietary lipid sources on growth performance, tissue fatty acid composition and serum lipid indices of juvenile Amur sturgeon, Acipenser schrenckii Brandt, 1869.

The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of different dietary lipid sources on the growth performance, tissue fatty acid composition and serum lipids indices of juvenile Acipenser schrenckii. Seven experimental diets were formulated with 10% lipid originating from fish oil ( FO), sunflower oil ( SFO), tallow oil ( TO), pork lard ( PL), rapeseed oil ( RO), corn oil ( CO) and soybean oil ( SBO), respectively. Triplicate groups of 20 Amur sturgeon [initial body weight (9.83 ± 0.19) g; means ± SD] were cultured in 405-L flow-through aquaria and assigned to the experimental diets for 8 weeks. Results showed that fish fed the SBO diet had the highest weight gain rate (611.29%), significantly higher than that of fish fed the FO (539.14%), CO (540.56%) or SFO (451.27%, the lowest) diet (P < 0.05). Fish fed the SFO diet also had the lowest values for feed efficiency, which was significantly lower than that in fish fed the other diets (P < 0.05). Significant differences were observed in fatty acids composition in muscle and liver of fish fed different lipid diets (P < 0.05). Ratios of total n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in lipid of muscle and liver were highest in fish fed the SBO (10.66 and 5.02%) or FO (9.48 and 5.10%) diet, lowest in fish fed the SFO (4.68 and 1.01%) diet. The ratio of n-3/n-6 in muscle and liver was lowest in fish fed the SFO diet (0.68 and 0.13), and highest in fish fed the FO (2.30 and 0.82) diet. Serum concentrations of total-cholesterol, triglyceride and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were lowest in fish fed the FO diet. No significant difference was observed in serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol content among all groups (P > 0.05). Fish fed the PL diet had the highest moisture and lipid contents in muscle, while fish fed the TO diet had the highest protein content in muscle. In summary, the lipid sources used in this test (excepting SFO) can be deemed as suitable for Amur sturgeon, the effect of SBO being the best. SFO is not recommended as a supplement in the Amur sturgeon diet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]