USE OF TOASTED SESAME SEEDMEAL AS A REPLACER OF SOYBEAN MEAL IN AFRICAN CATFISH DIETS: EFFECT ON GROWTH, NUTRIENT UTILIZATION, BODY COMPOSITION, HAEMATOLOGY AND HISTOPATHOLOGY OF THE LIVER.

ABSTRACT

The effect of toasted sesame meal as a soybean meal replacer in the diet of Clarias gariepinus was assessed in a 56-day feeding trial using growth, body composition, digestibility, hematology, and liver histology as fish performance indices. The control diet consisted of soybean meal that was replaced by differently toasted sesame seed meal at a rate of 15%, 30%, and 45% to produce nine isonitrogenous (40% CP) and isoenergetic (18 kJ/g gross energy) test diets. Triplicate groups of fish in 70-liter-capacity aerated rectangular plastic tanks were assigned to each dietary treatment at a stocking rate of 15 fingerlings (5.56 ± 0.37 g average weight) per tank. The results of the experiment revealed that there was no significant difference (P > 0.05) among soybean-based control diet and those fed up to the 30% replacement level of the differently toasted sesame seed using the aforementioned indices. Liver histology of fish fed all levels of sesame toasted for 10 min had no visible lesions.

KEYWORDS:

• Sesame
• Clarias gariepinus
• hematology
• hepatocyte
• digestibility

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.