Vitamin E sparing effect by dietary vitamin C in juvenile hybrid tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus × O. aureus

Shi-Yen Shiau, Chun-Yi Hsu-2002

Aquaculture, 210(1-4): 335-342
Abstract :

In order to investigate sparing effects of vitamin C on vitamin E for juvenile hybrid tilapia, fish were fed diets with or without vitamin E each supplemented with either adequate or a high (3× adequate) level of two ascorbate sources, L-ascorbic acid (AA) and its derivative, L-ascorbyl-2-monophosphate-Mg (C2MP-Mg). Each diet was fed to three replicate groups of fish initially weighing a mean value of 0.54±0.01 g/fish in a closed-recirculated rearing system for 8 weeks. Weight gain and feed efficiency of fish fed the vitamin E-deficient diet supplemented with adequate levels of either AA or C2MP-Mg were significantly lower (P<0.05) than fish fed the other diets. Plasma and liver α-tocopherol concentrations were lower in fish fed vitamin E-deficient diets regardless of the level or source of supplemented ascorbate. Gill α-tocopherolxxxxxxxx concentration was highest in fish fed vitamin E-adequate diets, intermediate in fish fed vitamin E-deficient diets supplemented with a high level of AA or C2MP-Mg and lowest in fish fed a vitamin E-deficient diet supplemented with an adequate level of AA or C2MP-Mg. Fish fed a vitamin E-deficient diet supplemented with an adequate level of AA or C2MP-Mg had higher hepatic thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances than fish fed the other diets. These data suggest that the high supplementation level (3× adequate) of ascorbate could spare vitamin E in diets for hybrid tilapia and that both AA and C2MP-Mg exhibits the same sparing effect.

(Department of Food Science, National Taiwan Ocean University, Keelung 202, Taiwan, Tel.: +886-2-2462-2192x5106; fax: +886-2-2462-1684, e-mail: syshiau@mail.ntou.edu.tw)

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