Mentha piperita (Peppermint) as feed additive enhanced growth performance, survival, immune response and disease resistance of Asian seabass, Lates calcarifer (Bloch) against Vibrio harveyi infection

• Menthes piperita increased the immunity in L. calcarifer against V. harveyi infection.
• Mentha piperita exhibited protective effect in fish after challenge with V. harveyi.
• Mentha piperita triggered growth, weight gain and FCR in treated fish.
• The blood, biochemical indices and bacterial load were affected by Mentha piperita.

This study was aimed to assess the potential effects of Mentha piperita on the growth performance, immune response and protection against Vibrio harveyi infection in Asian sea bass Lates calcarifer. A control diet without and a series of test diets incorporating M. piperita-diet (MP diet) at 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 g/kg were prepared and fed to the fish daily for a four-week period. The results showed that MP diet in feed led to reduced mortalities and significantly improved survival, weight gain and feed conversion ratio for treated groups over the control. Dietary M. piperita significantly increased erythrocytes, leucocytes, haematocrit, haemoglobin, phagocytic activity, respiratory burst, lysozyme, anti-protease and bactericidal activities in treated fish. Significantly higher (p < 0.05) serum protein and globulin levels were observed in treated fish groups over the control. Moreover, feeding of MP diets resulted in a reduction in serum glucose, lipids, triglycerides and cholesterol level in treated fish. In conclusion, MP diet led to the enhancement of the immunity of L. calcarifer against infection. Likewise, the impact of M. piperita has shown effective therapeutic results to consider incorporating this plant in fish feed to replace the use of antibiotics or therapeutics for sustainable aquaculture.