EFFECT OF SPIRULINA-ENRICHED POLYCHAETE DIETS ON GROWTH PERFORMANCE, BIOCHEMICAL COMPOSITION, HEMATOLOGICAL PROFILES, SERUM BIOCHEMISTRY AND MUSCLE ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY IN Litopenaeus vannamei

Abstract

Pacific White Shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei), is the most widely produced shrimp species in the world. Enhancing reproductive efficiency, growth performance, and disease resistance is necessary for sustainable shrimp farming. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of spirulina (Arthrospira platensis) enriched polychaete diets on Pacific white shrimp post larvae for 90 days at Niribili Tilapia Hatchery, Cox‘s Bazar, Bangladesh. A total 100 shrimps were included and supplied with diets containing different concentrations of spirulina- T0 (0%), T1 (2.5%), T2 (5%), T3 (7.5%) and T4 (10%). The result demonstrated that T3 achieved the highest overall growth performance, achieving the highest final weight (37.95 ± 2.86 g), weight gain (13.25 ± 2.29 g), DWG (0.331 ± 0.057 g day⁻¹), SGR (1.074 ± 0.171% day⁻¹), and DGI (1.120 ± 0.179% day⁻¹), which were significantly higher than those of the control and other treatment groups. T3 also showed the lowest FCR (2.15 ± 0.18) and the highest FCE (46.49 ± 3.10%) while the control group exhibited poor efficiency (FCR: 3.39 ± 0.35, FCE: 29.52 ± 3.60%). In proximate analysis, T3 exhibited the highest crude protein (19.2 ± 0.32%) and crude lipid (2.1 ± 0.15%) contents. The ash concentration was significantly higher in the T2 and T3 groups compared to the other treatment groups. Additionally, T3 recorded the highest serum total protein (126 ± 12.6 g L⁻¹), albumin (65.7 ± 6.8 g L⁻¹), and globulin (60.1 ± 9.1 g L⁻¹) concentrations and lowest serum glucose level (30.5 ± 3.1 mg dL⁻¹). Dietary spirulina enrichment significantly increased total hemocyte count and antioxidant capacity in L. vannamei, with maximum responsed recorded at 7.5% (T3). Overall, the findings demonstrate that spirulina enrichment of polychaetes, particularly at a 7.5% inclusion level, promotes growth performance, feed utilization, immune response, and antioxidant activity in Litopenaeus vannamei. This feeding strategy offers a sustainable and nutritionally effective way to increase shrimp productivity in both hatchery and grow-out culture systems. Keywords: Pacific white shrimp, Spirulina, Polychaete, Growth performance, Biochemical composition, Antioxidant activity