Functional assessment of citral dietary supplementation on growth performance, intestinal parameters, and specific activity of the digestive enzymes of Sardinella brasiliensis reared in recirculating aquaculture system

Abstract

This study assessed the impact of dietary citral supplementation on growth performance, intestinal parameters, and digestive enzyme activity in Brazilian sardine Sardinella brasiliensis. The experiment involved 240 juvenile S. brasiliensis distributed in a recirculating aquaculture system with 12 tanks. Fish were fed diets with varying levels of citral (0.5, 1, and 2 mL kg feed-1) for 20 days. Results showed improved survival with citral supplementation, increased lipase and amylase activity at 2 mL kg feed-1, and enhanced intestinal morphology. However, growth parameters were negatively affected at lower citral levels. Overall, the study recommends a citral inclusion level of around 1.25-1.3 mL kg feed-1 for optimal results in S. brasiliensis aquaculture.