Nutritional enhancement of Artemia with Porphyridium cruentum improves growth and survival of glass eel, Anguilla bicolor bicolor
摘要
Limited information is available on the optimal use of the red alga Porphyridium cruentum as a microalgal enrichment source for Artemia and its implications for glass eel (Anguilla bicolor bicolor) performance. This study evaluated the effects of P. cruentum enrichment on ingestion rate, nutritional composition, and feeding performance. Artemia were enriched at 300,000, 600,000, and 900,000 cells mL⁻1 for 3 and 6 h to assess ingestion rate, while 6 h enrichment was applied for proximate, fatty acid, and feeding analyses. Ingestion rate increased significantly with algal density,ranging from 91,944 to 237,222 cells ind−1 h−1, with optimal uptake at 600,000–900,000 cells mL⁻1. Enrichment improved protein, lipid, and total energy content. Fatty acids (SFA, MUFA, PUFA) increased at moderate densities (300,000–600,000 cells mL⁻1) but declined at 900,000 cells mL⁻1, indicating limited bioencapsulation efficiency at excessive concentrations. Key fatty acids (ARA, EPA, LA, ALA) were enhanced, while DHA was not detected. Feeding trials using 6 h-enriched Artemia showed significantly improved growth and survival (P < 0.05), with the best performance at 600.000 cells mL⁻1 (60.7% survival; 1.1% day⁻1 SGR). These results suggest that optimizing enrichment conditions, rather than maximizing algal density, is critical for improving live feed quality and glass eel performance.