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Effects of dietary attractant supplementation on the growth and digestive enzyme activities in mullet, Mugil cephalus (I)

  • Date:2003-06-30
  • No:1
  • Page:21-28
  • Author:Lie-Yueh Hwang, Lie-Mei Joe and Yun-Yuan Ting

The objectives of this experiment were to study the effects of feeding attractant supplementation on the growth and digestive enzyme activities in mullet, Mugil cephalus. The fish meal and soybean meal were used as protein source in basal diets (25 % crude protein). Three inclusion levels were tested for feeding attractant (1.5%, 3.0% and 4.5%). The enzyme activities of protease, lipase and amylase in the group fed with the diets with feeding attractant group were higher than that of diets without feeding attractant. Except the 1.5% feeding attractant group, the attractant group had significantly higher alkaline protease and lipase activities in digestive tract than the diet without adding any attractant (P < 0.05). Mullet reared on the attractant diets for 7 weeks showed significantly high weight gain, total intake and feed efficiency compared with the diet without adding any attractant (P < 0.05). There is no significant improvement on growth among 1.5%, 3.0% and 4.5% level of supplemental feeding attractant, hence, for less cost, 1.5% is suggested.