Supplementation of noni (Morinda citrifolia) in red tilapia (Oreochromis sp.) production

Abstract

Aquaculture is one of the most efficient and sustainable methods for producing high-quality protein. Due to its high potential, this industry has had an accelerated growth, searching for alternatives to maximize production and minimize the presence of diseases. Therefore, the use of antibiotics had a great boom, but due to counterproductive effects and consumer awareness, these products have been banned in many countries. Therefore, the implementation of natural immunostimulants has gained high significance. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of noni (Morinda citrifolia) supplementation in the feeding of red tilapia (Oreochromis sp.) and to evaluate its effect on the productive parameters of daily weight gain, feed conversion ratio, final weight, and survival. The study was carried out in 16 ponds, which were divided into four treatments: control treatment, treatment with noni fruit extract, treatment with noni leaf meal, and treatment with VIUSID commercial product, with four replicates per treatment. A Completely Randomized Design (CRD) was used, and an ANDEVA was employed with a significance value of P ≤ 0.05. The results were analyzed using SAS software through a DUNCAN multiple distances test. Noni extract and leaf meal supplementation generated significant results in the different productive parameters evaluated in comparison with the control treatment and the VIUSID treatment, obtaining the best values for the daily weight gain variables (0. 308 and 0.268 g vs. 0.184 and 0.206 g), final weight (9.121 and 8.562 g vs. 7.124 and 7.361 g), feed conversion ratio (2.361 and 2.374 vs. 0.184 and 0.206) and final biomass (329.375 and 319.688 g vs. 278.438 and 309.688 g). Therefore, it was concluded that the implementation of noni as a prebiotic in the production of red tilapia has a high potential due to the fact that there were no negative effects on water quality and because of the improvements in the productive parameters evaluated.