Impacts of different dietary lipid sources on growth performance, fatty acid composition and antioxidant enzyme activity of juvenile Black Sea bream, Acanthopagrus schlegeli

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the impacts of diets supplemented with different lipid sources on growth performance, body composition, fatty acid profile, and hepatic antioxidant enzyme activity of juvenile black sea bream, Acanthopagrus schlegeli (initial mean weight, 1.1±0.02g). Four isonitrogenous and isolipidic diets were formulated with either fish oil (FO), soybean oil (SO), linseed oil (LO) or a mixture of SO and LO (SO+LO). The results showed that survival, weight gain, feed efficiency and protein efficiency ratios of black sea bream were not affected by dietary lipid sources (p > 0.05). Liver and muscle of fish fed the SO diet had high concentration of linoleic acid, while those of fish fed the LO diet were high in linolenic acid. Liver and muscle of fish fed the FO diet had significantly (p < 0.05) higher levels of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid, compared to fishes fed the SO and LO diets. Superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase enzymes activities in liver of black sea bream were not influenced by dietary lipid sources. Our findings suggest that SO and/or LO can be used as a substitute for FO in black sea bream diets without adverse effects on growth performance and antioxidant enzyme activity, when the essential fatty acid requirements are present in diets for black sea bream.