article · Aquaculture Nutrition
A sixty-day feeding trial evaluated the impacts of supplementing aquafeed with copper nanoparticles and vitamin C on red sea bream. Researchers tested a control diet alongside six experimental formulations containing varying concentrations of vitamin C, both with and without copper nanoparticles. The presence of copper nanoparticles significantly influenced multiple performance metrics, including weight gain, growth rate, feed intake, feed and protein efficiency ratios, body composition, and digestive enzyme activities. Fish receiving diets supplemented with either copper nanoparticles, vitamin C, or both displayed higher growth, improved feed intake, elevated digestive activities, and stronger bactericidal responses than the control group. Furthermore, formulations combining copper nanoparticles with vitamin C yielded the greatest enhancements in body protein content and resistance to stress. Overall, dietary inclusion of these supplements improved both the growth performance and general health status of red sea bream.
Improving fish growth, feed utilisation, and disease resistance is essential for productive and sustainable aquaculture. This research demonstrates that adding copper nanoparticles and vitamin C to feed formulations enhances nutrient retention, immune defences, and stress tolerance in farmed red sea bream. These findings highlight practical nutritional strategies that could improve fish welfare and farm productivity.
The findings could inform aquafeed manufacturers and fish farm operators seeking to formulate specialised feeds that enhance growth and stress resistance in marine finfish. Because the trial reflects controlled experimental conditions over a sixty-day duration, the approach represents early-stage nutritional research that requires further testing at commercial farming scales before practical adoption.
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A 60-day feeding trial was conducted to determine the effects of copper nanoparticles (Cu-NPs) and vitamin C (VC) on red sea bream. Besides the control diet (D1), six diets were supplemented with Cu-NPs and VC [0/800 (D2), 0/1,000 (D3), 0/1,200 (D4), 2/800 (D5), 2/1,000 (D6) and 2/1,200 (D7) mg Cu-NPs/VC per kg]. Cu-NP was a significant factor on final weight (FBW), weight gain (WG) and specific growth rate (SGR), feed intake (FI), feed (FER) and protein efficiency ratios (PER), protein gain (PG) and protein retention (PR), body protein and lipid contents, protease (PA) and bactericidal activities (BA) and tolerance against stress (LT50%) (p < .05). In addition, BA and LT50% were significantly affected by either Cu-NPs or VC (p < .05). Fish fed Cu-NPs or/and VC-supplemented diets showed higher FBW, WG, SGR, PG, PR, FI, PA, LA and BA values when compared with the control group (p < .05). FER, PER and body lipid content were significantly enhanced in D4, D5, D6 and D7 groups; meanwhile, body protein and LT50% were significantly enhanced in D5, D6 and D7 groups when compared with D1 group (p < .05). In conclusion, dietary Cu-NPs or/and VC improved growth and health of red sea bream.
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DOI: 10.1111/anu.12508
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