Autor(es):
Pereira, Alícia ; Marmelo, Isa ; Dias, Marta ; Silva, Ana Catarina ; Grade, Ana Catarina ; Barata, Marisa ; Pousão-Ferreira, Pedro ; Dias, Jorge ; Anacleto, Patrícia ; Marques, António ; Diniz, Mário S. ; Maulvault, Ana Luísa
Data: 2024
Identificador Persistente: http://hdl.handle.net/10362/178493
Origem: Repositório Institucional da UNL
Projeto/bolsa:
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/3599-PPCDT/PTDC%2FCTA-AMB%2F0592%2F2021/PT;
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/OE/2020.04413.BD/PT;
Assunto(s): antioxidant response; climate change; digestive enzymes; farmed fish; histopathology; macroalgae; metabolic response; Food Science; Physiology; Biochemistry; Molecular Biology; Clinical Biochemistry; Cell Biology; SDG 13 - Climate Action; SDG 14 - Life Below Water
Descrição
Publisher Copyright: © 2024 by the authors.
The increasing frequency and duration of marine heatwaves (MHWs) due to climate change pose severe threats to aquaculture, causing drastic physiological and growth impairments in farmed fish, undermining their resilience against additional environmental pressures. To ensure sustainable production that meets the global seafood demand and animal welfare standards, cost-effective and eco-friendly strategies are urgently needed. This study explored the efficacy of the red macroalga Asparagopsis taxiformis on juvenile white seabream Diplodus sargus reared under optimal conditions and upon exposure to a MHW. Fish were fed with four experimental diets (0%, 1.5%, 3% or 6% of dried powdered A. taxiformis) for a prophylactic period of 30 days (T30) and subsequently exposed to a Mediterranean category II MHW for 15 days (T53). Biometric data and samples were collected at T30, T53 and T61 (8 days post-MHW recovery), to assess performance indicators, biomarker responses and histopathological alterations. Results showed that A. taxiformis supplementation improved catalase and glutathione S-transferase activities and reduced lipid peroxidation promoted by the MHW, particularly in fish biofortified with 1.5% inclusion level. No histopathological alterations were observed after 30 days. Additionally, fish biofortified with 1.5% A. taxiformis exhibited increased citrate synthase activity and fish supplemented with 1.5% and 3% showed improved digestive enzyme activities (e.g., pepsin and trypsin activities). Overall, the present findings pointed to 1.5% inclusion as the optimal dosage for aquafeeds biofortification with A. taxiformis, and confirmed that this seaweed species is a promising cost-effective ingredient with functional properties and great potential for usage in a climate-smart context.
