Effects of Haematococcus pluvialis in maternal diet on reproductive performance and egg quality in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

The aim of this study was to clarify the effects of dietary Haematococcus pluvialis (H.p) on reproductive performance in female rainbow trout and egg quality in terms of antioxidant system and biochemical parameters. 60 rainbow trout (2475.5 ± 64.4 g) were randomly assigned to 2 groups in triplicates and fed diet containing 3 g H.p kg−1 feed equivalent to 30 mg astaxanthin kg−1 die or control diet for 30 days. On days 20 and 30 during feeding trial, mature fish were weighed and sampled for stripping. Results indicated that supplementation of H.p did not improve total egg weight, egg number per gram and fecundity. There were few changes in triglyceride and total protein content in fish eggs. Level of glucose decreased markedly on day 30 while on day 20 of feeding trial, a non-significant decrease was shown in treatment group. On day 20, the level of malondialdehyde (MDA) indicating lipid peroxidation product significantly decreased in eggs of the treatment group. The activities of enzymes of the antioxidant system did not change during this study, even though slight increase in glutathione peroxidase in treatment group was revealed during this study. In conclusion, this study showed that female rainbow trout appear to benefit from inclusion of H.p in diet during their reproductive stages in terms of improved egg quality.