C. Rodriguez, J.A. Perez, M. Diaz, M.S. Izquierdo, H.
Fernandez-Palacios, A. Lorenzo-1997
Aquaculture, 150: 77-89
Abstract:
A feeding experiment was carried out to investigate the influence of
the eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5n-3) to docosahexaenoic acid
(DHA, 22:6n-3) ratio (EPA/DHA) on 17-day-old Sparus aurata larval
development. Larvae were fed rotifers (Brachionus plicatilis)
enriched with four different lipid emulsions containing the same
amount of total n-3 highly unsaturated fatty acids (n-3 HUFA) but
different EPA/DHA ratios. The different EPA/DHA ratios of the
emulsions gave rise to different ratios in the enriched rotifers.
Furthermore, increments of the EPA/DHA ratio in rotifers produced a
decrease in larval growth performance, so that larvae fed rotifers
containing the highest EPA/DHA ratio showed the poorest growth
rate. The analysis of fatty acids from larvae showed that there was a
significant linear relationship between EPA/DHA ratio in their total
polar lipids (TPL) and larval growth. At the same time, when the
EPA/DHA ratio increased in rotifers, there was an increase in total
n-3 HUFA in larvae total neutral lipid (TNL), which was mainly due
to the accumulation of EPA.
Results obtained in the present study suggest that for the same level
of total n-3 HUFA, larval growth performance can be improved by a
decrease in EPA/DHA ratio in rotifers, indicating the importance of
DHA during the first days of S. aurata larval development.
(Departamento de Biologia Animal, Universidad de La Laguna,
38270 La Laguna, Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain)
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