Dietary lyophilized colostrum alters distribution of goblet cells and the intestinal epithelium of Piaractus mesopotamicus

Alternatives for fish nutrition are placed annually in the world market with the expectation of getting a quick performance at minimum cost. As an alternative animal food, lyophilized bovine colostrum may be innovative when added as a source of protein and bioactive peptides in fish food, such as neotropical fish species. The lyophilization process preserves the quality and unique features of colostrum, like antioxidant, immunological and antimicrobial proprieties. Additionally, the present work contributes to a better understanding of basic histology of neotropical fish species, that still demands for basic studies about enteric physiology. The presence and distribution of sialomucins, sulphomucins and neutral mucins in the intestinal epithelium of an omnivorous fish may contribute to the evaluation of nutritional alternatives that enable greater production efficiency at the national level. In this context, the present manuscript is complementary to others already published papers, which includes the study of the feasibility of using bovine colostrum as an alternative protein source for fish, as well as the consequences of the presence of biological active molecules, such as IGF-1, on the enteric histology and morphology.