St. N. Stoyanova
Trakia University, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Biology and Aquaculture, 6000 Stara Zagora, Bulgaria
Stoyanova, St. N. (2024). Influence of the food supplement yellow gentian (Gentiana lutea) on certain growth indicators, blood parameters and quality of meat in the aquaponic cultivation of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss W.). Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 30(4), 671–676
The use of herbs as supplements in fish feed has shown a stimulating effect on fish growth, utilization of feed, and an increase in digestibility and in fish immunity. The aim of this study is to determine the influence of the supplement yellow gentian (Gentiana lutea) added in fish feed on the growth indicators, blood parameters, meat quality and forage utilization of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss W.), cultivated in an aquaponic system. The experimental period lasted 60 days. At the end of the experiment, the following were calculated: average final weight, specific growth rates, feed utilization rate, meat quality and biochemical blood parameters. The trout fed on feed supplemented with yellow gentian, showed a higher final weight of 4.46%, compared to control group fish fed without it, but the differences between the groups were unreliable (P> 0.05). The quality parameters of the meat in the experimental group were not significantly affected by the addition of yellow gentian to the feed and were similar to the results obtained in the control group fish. The addition of yellow gentian to the diet of the rainbow trout affects the biochemical parameters of blood (creatinine, ASAT), the quality of meat (raw protein). Better values in the measurement of trout in the group fed with yellow gentian were reported with an average individual fish weight and a feed conversion factor of 34.91% and 23.03% respectively, compared to control fish.