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Dietary saponins and phytosterols do not affect growth, intestinal morphology and immune response of on-growing European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax)

Couto, A., Kortner, T.M., Penn, M., Bakke, A.M., Krogdahl, Å. and Oliva-Teles, A.
2015

This study investigated the effect of soy anti nutrients, saponins and phytosterols, in growing sea bass. Seven diets were formulated: a control diet (fishmeal and fish oil based) and six diets containing 1 or 2 g/kg soya saponins, 5 or 10 g/ kg phytosterols, or a combination of 1 g/ kg saponins plus 5 g/ kg phytosterols or 2 g/kg saponins plus 10 g/ kg phytosterols. After a 59 days feeding trial the fish were weighed, feces collected for digestibility studies and plasma sampled for cholesterol quantification. At day 15 and 59, distal intestine (DI) samples were collected for histological evaluation and quantification of maltase (Malt), alkaline phosphatase (AlP), leucine aminopeptidase (LAP) activities, and tissue was sampled for gene expression of AlP, Malt and immune related genes.

In this study, the added levels of saponins and phytosterols had no effect on fish performance, digestibility, plasma cholesterol levels and digestive enzymes activities and gene expression. Only mild morphological changes were present in groups fed the highest levels of saponins plus phytosterols. Expression of immune related genes showed no differences between treatments groups. Overall, the researchers concluded that growing sea bass showed high tolerance to dietary saponins and phytosterols in the levels tested.

Couto, A., Kortner, T.M., Penn, M., Bakke, A.M., Krogdahl, Å. and Oliva-Teles, A. 2015. Dietary saponins and phytosterols do not affect growth, intestinal morphology and immune response of on-growing European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax). Aquaculture Nutrition. doi: 10.1111/anu.12220