Fatty Acid Utilization and Digestive Enzyme Activity during Early Larval Development of Anabas testudineus

Author: Nitish Kumar Chandan, Narottam Prasad Sahu, Gopal Krishna, Rajesh Kumar, S. Nandi, Rakhi Kumari, U.K. Udit, G.M. Siddaiah, B.C. Mohapatra and K.N. Mohanta

Download PDF

Abstract

Anabas testudineus is one of the potential candidates for species diversification in freshwater aquaculture. The present study aimed to evaluate the consumption pattern of endogenous nutritional components available in the form of yolk and digestive enzymes status during early larval development of A. testudineus. The fatty acid profiles viz., saturated fatty acid (SFAs), monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFAs), polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), arachidonic acid (ARA), n-3/n-6 ratio of eggs and different stages of unfed larvae of Anabas were determined. The digestive enzyme activities were also studied from the day of fertilization to the 25-day post-hatching (DPH). The results indicated that the MUFAs were the predominant fatty acid available in eggs and all the larval stages. The total MUFAs, n-6 contents and DHA: EPA were decreased significantly (p<0.01) from the eggs to 6 days old non-feeding larvae. Total n-3, EPA, DHA, ARA and ARA: EPA were significantly increased (p<0.01) in developing larvae. Surprisingly, EPA and DHA contents were significantly less (p<0.05) during 0 to 2 DPH and increased later on from 3 to 6 DPH. Proteases like trypsin and chymotrypsin activities were significantly (p<0.01) increased from the day of fertilization and they reached a peak on 15 DPH and 12 DPH, respectively and then a decreasing trend was observed up to 21 DPH. However, the pepsin activities were negligible up to 12 DPH and subsequently increased from 15 to 25 DPH. In contrast to pepsin, the lipase activities increased from day of fertilization to 12 DPH, then decreases up to 18 DPH and increased thereafter. Amylase activities were negligible (p<0.05) up to 2 DPH, then increased from 3 DPH to 18 DPH followed by significantly reduced (p<0.05) from 18 to 25 DPH. The culture potential of this species has not realized so far due to the lack of sufficient quantity of quality seed and the non-availability of appropriate larval feed. To produce a good quality larval feed, the basic knowledge on nutrient requirement of larvae is the pre-requisite. Therefore, the present investigation revealed the activities of digestive enzymes and utilization of total fatty acids from the day of fertilization to 25 DPH in the early larval development of Anabas testudineus which are very much essential for developing the quality larval diets for this species.

Keywords

Anabas, larvae, n-3, n-6, n-3/n-6, EPA, DHA, PUFA, fatty acid, digestive enzyme

Conclusion

The results of present studies provide the basic information on conservation and utilization pattern of different fatty acids during early embryonic and larval development of Anabas larvae. Our findings also provide the information on digestive enzymes that are available during the early larval stages of Anabas. This information also gives an idea of fatty acid requirements during the early embryonic development and the digestive capacity of Anabas larvae at different stages.

References

-

How to cite this article

Nitish Kumar Chandan, Narottam Prasad Sahu, Gopal Krishna, Rajesh Kumar, S. Nandi, Rakhi Kumari, U.K. Udit, G.M. Siddaiah, B.C. Mohapatra and K.N. Mohanta (2023). Fatty Acid Utilization and Digestive Enzyme Activity during Early Larval Development of Anabas testudineus. Biological Forum – An International Journal, 15(1): 425-431.