Estimation of dietary pantothenic acid requirement of grouper, Epinephelus malabaricus according to physiological and biochemical parameters

To quantify the dietary pantothenic acid (PA) requirements of grouper, Epinephelus malabaricus, calcium d-PA was added to basal diet at 0, 5, 10, 20, 40, 60, 100 and 200 mg PA/kg diet. Triplicate groups of fish (initial body weight: 15.3 ± 0.3 g) were fed with each experimental diet for 8 weeks in a recirculating seawater rearing system. After feeding trial, besides growth and survival, hematological index, hepatic PA, CoA and total lipid concentrations in fish were also monitored. Pantothenic acid deficiency signs including clubbed gills, anemia, high mortality, anorexia, sluggishness, and poor growth were observed in fish fed the PA-free control diet. Fish fed diets supplemented with ≥ 10 mg PA/kg diet had significantly (P ≤ 0.05.) higher weight gain (WG) and feed efficiency than fish fed the PA-free control diet. Fish fed diets supplemented with ≥ 5 mg PA/kg diet had higher survival, red blood cell count, hematocrit and hemoglobin concentrations, but lower hepatic total lipid concentration than fish fed the control diet. Hepatic PA concentration was highest in fish fed diets with ≥ 10 mg PA/kg diet, followed by 5 mg PA/kg diet group, and lowest in fish fed the control diet. Fish fed diets with 10–40 and ≥ 100 mg PA/kg diet had higher hepatic CoA concentration than fish fed diets with ≤ 5 mg PA/kg diet. Analysis of WG, hepatic PA and CoA concentrations by broken-line regression indicated that the optimum dietary PA requirement of growing grouper is about 11 mg PA/kg diet.

► Grouper fed pantothenic acid (PA)-free diet exhibits several deficiency signs.
► Dietary PA affects hepatic PA, coenzyme A and lipid concentrations in grouper.
► Optimum dietary PA requirements for grouper is 11 mg/kg diet.