Effect of Different Additives on Growth and Meat Quality of Blunt Snout Bream(Megalobrama amblycephala)

A 96-day feeding trail was conducted to evaluate the effects of Eucommia ulmoides,VC+VEand allicin on the growth and meat quality of blunt snout bream(Megalobrama amblycephala).One-hundred-twenty healthy breams with an initial body weight of 249.69±1.96 g were selected and randomly divided into 3treatment and a control groups.Ten fish per replicate and 3replicates per treatment were used for the experimentation.The feeding diets included the basic formulation(Control)and those with the addition of 0.3% E.ulmoides(Group A),vC200mg·kg-1+VE 200 mg·kg-1(Group B),or garlicin 60 mg·kg-1(Group C).The results showed that the weight gain rates of the fish in the treatment groups were significantly higher than that of Control(P<0.05),while the feed coefficients significantly lower than Control(P<0.05).Group B showed the highest rate of weight gain(up to 49.13%)and lowest feed conversion ratio(up to 1.66)among all.The survival rate,viscerosomatic index,condition factor,muscle moisture and crude ash content of the fish were not significantly different between the treatments and Control(P>0.05).The hepatosomatic indices of the treatment groups were significantly lower than that of Control(P<0.05).The fish in the treatment groups had increased crude protein and flavor amino acids,and decreased crude fat,as compared with Control.Those differences were statistically significant between Group A or C and Control(P<0.05).The contents of hydroxyproline and collagen in the treatment groups significantly increased(P<0.05),while the muscle drip loss significantly reduced(P<0.05)over Control.It appeared that these additives could improve the growth and meat quality of the breams,and that E.ulmoides was most effective as an added ingredient in feed for upgrading the fish meat quality.