Investigation of Pineapple Remnants Used in Fish Aqua Feeds

Abstract

The present research addressed the pineapple (Ananas comosus) residue (peel, crown, and bran) and its impact on the apparent digestibility, productive performance, carcass yield, liver status, and immune system of Oreochromis niloticus fry (initial weight: 2.16 ± 0.04 g). In a 14-week trial, fish were fed on 1% and 2% of each pineapple additive, starting from June 16 till September 23, 2020. Results showed a promising enhancement of fish growth performance and feed utilization. The tilapia, fed the pineapple crown, bran, and peel powder at level 2%, showed improvements in fish flesh, liver health, and apparent protein digestibility, followed by those fed the level 1% (p<0.05, compared to the control group). The data of the current study indicate the possibility of reusing the pineapple fruit residue as additives to the tilapia feed to sustain fish production with good quality. More studies on fruit residues are required for the sake of fish production and health quality enhancement. This would, in turn, reduce the aquaculture feed cost and solve the environmental problem of accumulating residues.