Comparison on inclusion of potent and expired Astaxanthin in the diet of ANH7 African catfish Clarias gariepinus fingerlings for skin and flesh pigmentation

Background and Objective: The aim of this study seeks to Compare the effects of Inclusion levels of Potent and Expired Astaxanthin in the Diet of African catfish Clarias gariepinus Fingerlings for Skin and Flesh Pigmentation. Materials and Methods: A 120 fingerlings Clarias gariepinus was used which was procured from a reputable farm in Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria. They were then taken to the Hydrobiology and Fisheries Laboratory of the University of Jos, Nigeria and allowed to acclimatize for three weeks before the feeding started. The experiment involved the use of 19 fibre glass tanks having average capacity of 95 litres. It was run under the flow-through system at 100 ml/min in order to avoid pollution. Results: After a feeding period of eight weeks, increasing the level of astaxanthin (potent and expired) in the feed of Clarias gariepinus fingerlings from 100 (T1) to 150 (T2) to 200g/kg (T3), the concentration of carotene in the skin increased significantly (p < 0.05) between the treatments except for the control. The effect of pigmentation was given in the skin and flesh of Clarias gariepinus fingerlings fed both potent and expired astaxanthin, except that, the potent astaxanthin gave higher effect of pigmentation on both skin and flesh than the expired astaxanthin. Conclusion: It was however, found that, the concentration of astaxanthin in the skin was higher than that in the flesh under every treatment for both potent and expired astaxanthin.