The Dietary Impacts of Orange Peel Meal on Growth, Wound-Healing and Blood Components of Clarias gariepinus

Abstract

A twelve-week feeding trial was conducted to examine the dietary impact of air-dried sweet orange (Citrus sinensis) peel meal (OPM) on growth, wound healing and blood components of Clarias gariepinus juveniles. The study involved five dietary treatments comprising OPM included at 0 (control treatment), 10, 20, 30 and 40g/kg respectively in the experimental diets labelled T1 to T5 and had three replicates constituting fifteen plastic aquaria. A total of 210 fish were randomly distributed into the aquaria at the rate of 14 fish per aquarium and were fed at 3% of their body weight twice daily (8.00-9.00am and 4.00-5.00pm). During the feeding trial, growth and feed utilization parameters were determined while, blood indices were measured at the end of the feeding trial. Wound healing was monitored after the feeding trial on the surviving fish by cutting 1cm² area into the flesh of the fish selected from each treatment at its lateral line and tail regions. The study revealed that air-dried orange peel meal at 10g/kg optimized fish growth while 30g/kg improved the packed cell volume, haemoglobin, red blood cell, white blood cells, total protein, albumin, globulin, aspartate amino transferase, and alanine transaminase of C. gariepinus. Higher ammonia content was detected as the OPM amount increased. Thus, air-dried orange peel meal has promising potentials in enhancing growth, blood components and wound healing in C. gariepinus juveniles. Fish farmers may consider incorporating processed orange peel meal into fish feed for the production of fast-growing and healthy fish by monitoring amount of ammonia.