Abstract

VELURTAS, Susana María; DIAZ, Ana Cristina; FERNANDEZ-GIMENEZ, Analía Verónica  and  LINO FENUCCI, Jorge. Influence of dietary starch and cellulose levels on the metabolic profile and apparent digestibility in penaeoid shrimp. Lat. Am. J. Aquat. Res. [online]. 2011, vol.39, n.2, pp. 214-224. ISSN 0718-560X.

The present study compared the effect of different starch/cellulose ratios (30/0, 20/10, 10/20, 0/30) on the metabolic response and apparent digestibility in two species of penaeoids: Artemesia longinaris and Pleoticus muelleri. Adult animals were used in order to obtain sufficient quantities of haemolymph and faecal material for analysis. No significant differences were found in levels of plasma metabolites in P. muelleri, but in A. longinaris, a significant increase was observed in glucose, total protein, and cholesterol in correlation with increased dietary starch. The apparent digestibility coefficients decreased from 83.7% to 51.2% (A. longinaris) and from 71.9% to 7.6% (P. muelleri) as the dietary starch levels increased. The ratio of amylase activity to protease activity (A/P ratio) declined in A. longinaris when the percentage of dietary starch increased. In contrast, the A/P ratio for P. muelleri increased with higher starch concentrations. These results demonstrated a close relationship between the feeding habits and digestive physiology of the two species studied; they also suggest a more herbivorous behavior for A. longinaris and more omnivorous habits for P. muelleri.

Keywords : Artemesia longinaris; Pleoticus muelleri; apparent digestibility; carbohydrate metabolism; cellulose; starch; haemolymph; Argentina.