Authors : Sara Ahmadi, Mehdi Soltani, Mehdi Shamsaie, Houman Rajabi Islami and Rahim Peyghan
Abstract: A 90 days feeding trial was conducted to investigate and compare the effects of dietary probiotic, Pediococcus acidilactici and vitamin C on water quality, survival rate, growth performance and enzyme activities of Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei. Shrimps (with initial weight of 2.63±0.07 g) were grown and fed by probiotic (initial concentration of 1x109 cfu g-1) and vitamin C diets in separate Earthen ponds (1 g kg-1). At the end of feeding trial, survival rate, growth parameters and enzyme activities were assessed. The best Survival Rate (SR), Weight Gain (WG), Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR), Specific Growth Rate (SGR) and Protein Efficiency Ratio (PER) were observed in shrimps fed P. acidilactici-diet (T.2) (p<0.05) than shrimps fed vitamin C (T.3) and control diet (T.1). Similarly, significantly better results were registered in T.3 compared to T.1 (T.2>T.3>T.1). Amylase, protease, lipase and alkaline phosphatase activities were significantly higher (p<0.05) in T.2 compared to T.3 and T.1. Amylase and alkaline phosphatase activities were recorded higher in vitamin C-treatment rather than control (p<0.05). Trypsin and chymotrypsin activities in shrimp were not significantly different (p>0.05) among probiotic, vitamin C treatments and control. The results from this study suggest that P. acidilactici supplemented could significantly increase survival rate, growth parameters and some digestive enzyme activities of P. vannamei. Proximate compositions in shrimp muscle are calculated. Researchers found that crude fat had the lower rate in T.2 and T.3 rather than T.1 (p<0.05). Ash had significantly higher in T.2 compared to T.1 and T.3 (p<0.05) whereas there were no different significant in crude protein and moisture among the treatments (p>0.05). These findings demonstrate potential for P. acidilactici to enhance the survival, growth performance and some enzyme activities in white shrimp.
Sara Ahmadi, Mehdi Soltani, Mehdi Shamsaie, Houman Rajabi Islami and Rahim Peyghan, 2014. Comparative Effect of Pediococcus acidilactici as Probiotic and Vitamin C on Survival, Growth Performance and Enzyme Activities of White Leg Shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei). Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances, 13: 877-885.