Growth performance, antioxidant enzymes status, muscle fatty acid composition, and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances of Cirrhinus mrigala fed graded levels of vitamin E supplementation

Nowadays, inclusion of antioxidants such as, vitamin E (vit E) in aquafeeds is imperative for optimum yield and improved product quality. Therefore, the present study was designed to evaluate the growth performance, antioxidant enzymes status, thiobarbuteric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and fatty acid composition of muscles of Cirrhinus mrigala fed with vit E. Five semi-purified diets designed containing vit E at 0.0, 30.0, 60.0, 90.0, and 120.0 mg kg-1 and fed to fish (4.30±0.21 g) in triplicates for 60-days. The growth performance, liver and muscles vit E contents were significantly higher in group D-V (p<0.05). FCR, body indices, muscles TBARS and antioxidant enzymes [catalase (CAT), peroxidase (POX), and superoxide dismutase (SOD)] activity in intestine, liver, kidney and whole body of fish was significantly reduced in group D-V compared to other groups (p<0.05). Moreover, increased muscles polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) such as, ω-3, ω-6 and decrease unsaturated fatty acids were measured in group D-V (p<0.05). After 15 and 30 days of storage, significantly reduced muscles PUFAs and increased TBARS content were observed in all groups except D-V (p<0.05). In conclusion, dietary vit E supplementation (at 120 mg kg-1) could be a useful approach to improve growth performance and oxidative stability by reducing oxidative stress in C. mrigala.