Effects of Omega -3 Fatty Acid Supplementation on Aquaponic System-raised Tilapia

Abstract

Tilapia does not naturally contain high levels of omega-3 fatty acids which can be altered through feed supplementation. This study evaluates the effects of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation on tilapia growth and muscle tissue composition, especially the ability of tilapia to retain omega-3 fatty acids, raised in aquaponics system. Tilapia were fed linseed oil (LO) and sunflower oil (SO) supplemented feeds for 12 weeks and growth was measured at 0, 6, and 12 weeks. Omega-3 muscle tissue retention was measured at 12 weeks. The condition factor significantly increased between 6 and 12 weeks for both LO and SO. At week 12 the condition factor of the negative control (NC) was significantly lower than both LO and SO. LO retained more of some omega-3 fatty acids than SO, however they were not significantly different using either method. NC had higher total omega-3 values than LO and SO according to both methods; however NC also had the highest saturated and total fat. This study determined that increasing fatty acids in the diet resulted in increased growth and a healthier body composition overall for tilapia; however it did not conclusively determine the effect of supplementation on omega-3 retention.