An evaluation of fatty acid profiles of two commercial diets on the growth of Indonesian shortfin eel, Anguilla bicolor

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of two commercial diets' fatty acid compositions on the growth and survival of A. bicolor. Animal test weighing of 52.01±24.21 g were fed two different diets, such as : CEF (diet specially formulated for eels) and CFF (diet for freshwater fish). Myristic acid (4.16% and 4.32%), palmitic acid (22.45% and 33.97%), and stearic acid for the CFF diet (13.15%), comprised the majority of the diet's saturated fatty acids (SFAs). The monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) were mainly palmitoleic acid (4.71% and 5.54%) and oleic acid (17.75% and 19.63%). Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) were 37.5% and 14.1%, respectively. Essential fatty acids (EFAs), such as linoleic acid, alpha-linolenic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, and docosahexaenoic acid from the CEF diet were higher (3.73%, 1.25%, 9.22%, and 19.71%, respectively) than the CFF diet of 1.59%, 0.51%, 1.84%, and 7.99%, respectively. For eels fed the CEF and CFF diets, the ratio of n-3 to n-6 fatty acids was 4.14 and 0.66, respectively. Biomass production and fish survival were higher for the CEF diet animals. It can be concluded that the diet's PUFA and especially EFA contents further affect the growth and survival of A. bicolor.