Julio H. Córdova-Murueta

Nutritive value of squid and hydrolyzed protein supplement in shrimp feed

Though some protein sources like squid and protein hydrolysates are assumed as growth enhancers for shrimp, little is known about the biochemical basis of this phenomenon. Low, heat-dried squid (Dosidicus gigas) (SQ) and two commercial protein hydrolysates from fish (FH) and krill (Euphasia sp.) (KH) were assayed in feeding trials with Penaeus vannamei. Feeds were prepared with the tested proteins at 3%, 9%, and 15% of the total crude protein. A total of nine experimental feeds plus a commercial one as control (C32) were tried. Additionally, digestibility in vivo and in vitro was evaluated. Survival was not different among groups. Weight gain of shrimp and total and specific proteolytic activity for trypsin and chymotrypsin were affected by type and quantity of supplemented protein. In vivo and in vitro digestibilities were also influenced by the source and quantity of the protein supplement. Shrimp fed feed with FH at 3% protein supplementation grew more than those fed with higher supplementations. Groups fed SQ had similar results as those fed FH, and gained more weight when fed the lowest SQ quantity. SDS-PAGE showed a large concentration of small peptides in SQ, which may explain results similar to FH. KH enhanced shrimp growth at all supplementations and had a lower degree of hydrolysis (DH) than FH. SQ also demonstrated good growth performance, but better at the lower supplementation, probably because of the presence of small peptides and possibly free amino acids from protein hydrolyzed by endogenous enzymes in the squid mantle. We conclude that hydrolyzed protein is a good supplement for shrimp feeds, but it must meet specific requirements for adequate assimilation.

Digestive enzymes present in crustacean feces as a tool for biochemical, physiological, and ecological studies

Abstract The effect of food composition on the digestive system of Penaeus vannamei shrimp was used to determine the suitability of feces for analysis of class, type, composition of digestive proteinases, and whether alterations in the digestive gland are mirrored in feces composition. Enzymes recovered from feces and the midgut gland of white shrimp P. vannamei were used for comparison purposes. Three groups of shrimp were assembled: two groups fed two different brands of commercial feeds (PI and SC) with different content of protein, and the last group fed 50% PI feed and 50% thawed giant squid. Composition of proteinases in the midgut gland and feces were identical, and trypsin and chymotrypsin paralogues were identified in both samples by substrate-electrophoresis. Total proteolytic, trypsin, and chymotrypsin enzyme activities were higher in both samples from organisms fed SC, than in the other two groups. In the hepatopancreas, trypsin activity was ∼30% higher in SC fed group. Final average weights of shrimp were close in three groups, but hepatopancreas weight was 20% higher in the SC group. The degree of protein hydrolysis (DH) in vitro for the SC and PI was evaluated by the pH-stat method, using enzymes from feces and hepatopancreas of each group. The DH of food was no different, but it was affected by enzyme source, hepatopancreas extract (HPE) or feces extract (FE). DH was always higher when FE was the enzyme source than when HPE was the source. The proposed methods for recovery of enzymes from shrimp feces can be applied to other crustaceans. Measurements were sufficiently sensitive to allow quantifying the effects of feed on digestion physiology and other ecological and physiological applications, without the necessity of killing specimens.