article · Aquaculture Research
This study evaluated the effects of dietary essential oils extracted from sweet orange and lemon peels on the growth, health, and immune performance of Nile tilapia. Over a 60-day feeding trial, fish were given diets supplemented with varying concentrations of orange essential oil, lemon essential oil, or combinations of both. Diets containing these citrus extracts led to significant improvements in fish growth rates, blood health profiles, and immune indicators such as phagocytic and lysozyme activity. Supplementation also enhanced antioxidant defences, improved intestinal morphometry, and upregulated liver genes linked to growth and immune function. The combination of three parts per thousand orange oil and one part per thousand lemon oil produced the most pronounced positive physiological and welfare benefits.
Aquaculture producers require sustainable, natural feed ingredients that support fish health and reduce reliance on synthetic additives. Demonstrating that essential oils derived from citrus fruit waste can boost fish immunity, gut structure, and growth rates provides a functional dietary strategy to improve farmed fish welfare and productivity through natural nutritional management.
The findings are relevant to aquafeed manufacturers and fish farmers seeking natural, functional feed additives. By showing that specific ratios of citrus peel essential oils enhance growth and health in Nile tilapia, the work is at an applied and tested stage in a feeding trial. Practical use would involve formulating these extracts into commercial aquafeeds for tilapia production.
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The effects of dietary essential oils extract from sweet orange (Citrus sinensis) (OEO) and/or lemon (Citrus limon) (LEO) peels on performance and health status of Nile tilapia were investigated. Seven triplicate groups (Control "CG", OEO1‰, OEO3‰, LEO0.75‰, LEO1‰, OEO1‰ × LEO0.75‰ and OEO3‰ × LEO1‰) of fish (16.42 ± 0.059 g, N = 210) were fed basal diet, basal diet contain OEO 1‰, OEO 3‰, LEO 0.75‰, LEO 1‰, OEO 1‰ × LEO 0.75‰ and OEO 3‰ × LEO1‰ respectively, for 60 day. Results showed significant improvement in growth (final weight, weight gain, specific growth rate and thermal growth coefficient), blood health (increased total protein, albumin, globulin and decreased aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose), immune response (phagocytic activity, phagocytic index and lysozyme activity) and oxidative status (super oxide dismutase and catalase) of fish received OEO or/and LEO in respect to CG (p < 0.05) with the best findings observed in OEO 3‰ × LEO1‰. In a dose-dependent effect, liver insulin growth factor I (IGF-I), super oxide dismutase (SOD) and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) significantly upregulated in fish received OEO or/and LEO compared with CG (p < 0.05). Dietary supplementation of OEO or/and LEO significantly improved the intestinal morphometry (villi length, inter villi space and number of goblet cells) of fish compared to CG (p < 0.05) with the best results detected in OEO 3‰ × LEO1‰. Conclusively, OEO 3‰ × LEO1‰ have significant physiological, antioxidant and immunostimulant activities that could be used as natural constituents during the formulation of aquafeeds to improve fish welfare via dietary management.
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DOI: 10.1111/are.15000
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