Potentials of Plant Polyphenols for Better Performance of Farmed Giant Freshwater prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii)

Abstract

This experiment was conducted by using natural bioactive additive from sugarcane plants (Saccharum officinarium) named as 'polyphenol' have the potential to replace some of the functions of feed additives as it contains antioxidants, minerals, nutrients, essential amino acids and also exerts anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties. The experiment was conducted in tanks where freshwater prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) were stocked in 12 tanks at 50 prawn per tank and subjected to four treatments with each treatment replicated in three times. Polyphenol was included at 0% (T0) (regarded as control or without Polyphenol), 0.2% (T1), 0.4% (T2), and 0.6% (T3) in the four diets. After stocking of prawn, sampling was done at regular intervals of 15 days to check the growth performance of fish and also adjust the feeding rate. During stocking of prawn, initial length was 2cm. Final sampling showed that the average length of prawn was increased which fed with T3 [(6.27±0.51)cm] treated fish than the T0 [(4.85±0.13)cm], T1 [(4.99±0.26)cm] and T2 [(5.22 ±0.48)cm] treated prawn. Stocked prawns were too small so that initial weights were not calculated. Weight were calculated at 8th sampling where final sampling showed that the average weight of each treatment such as T0, T1, T2, and T3 were 0.89±0.10g, 1.120±19g, 1.16±0.24g and 2.13±0.19g respectively. Among the four treatment, T3 showed better growth [6.27±0.51) cm] than the control [(4.85±0.13) cm] (p<0.05). T3 has lower FCR value (1.15) than the control (2). During the research period no mortality was recorded. No disease outbreak was found during that time. Thus also support that polyphenol enhanced immunity in prawns. Polyphenol may also have nutritive properties which influenced growth performance at freshwater prawn.