Vegetable products as dietary pigment sources for juvenile goldfish, Carassius auratus

Abstract

Amaranthus leaf meal, moringa leaf meal, and red chili powder were chemically analyzed and evaluated as carotenoid sources in diets for juvenile goldfish, Carassius auratus. The fish readily accepted all test diets, indicating good palatability of the tested ingredients. In a 56-day growth trial, all growth performance indicators except survival significantly varied (p<0.05) between dietary treatments. The highest weight gain (1.19 g) was achieved by fish fed the diet containing krill meal (positive control diet), but this weight gain did not significantly differ from that of fish fed the diet containing red chili powder. Total carotenoids were significantly highest (p<0.05) in fish fed the diet containing red chili powder (2.07 μg/g) and very low in fish fed the diet containing no pigment supplement (negative control). Growth, skin coloration, and total carotenoids in the tissue were satisfactory in fish fed the diets containing amaranthus or moringa leaf meal.