| Abstract: | This study was designed to evaluate the effect of dietary replacement fish meal supplemented with freeze‐dried powder of the Antarctic krill Euphausia superba (FDPE) on the growth performance, molting, and fatty acid composition of the Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei (initial weight 1.27 ± 0.09 g). Four diets containing 0% (S0 group), 10% (S10 group), 20% (S20 group), and 30% (S20 group) FDPE were used in the present study. At the end of growth trial, the final body weight, weight gain rate, and specific growth rate in the S10, S20, and S30 groups were higher than those in the S0 group. The shrimp in the S10 and S20 groups exhibited better molting synchronism than those in the S0 group. The astaxanthin content in the hepatopancreas from the shrimp in the groups supplemented with FDPE was significantly higher than that in the S0 group (p < 0.05) and increased as the FDPE content in the feed increased. The shrimp in the S10, S20, and S30 groups had a higher monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) content in the hepatopancreas than those in the S0 group. The sum of EPA and DHA in the muscles from the shrimp in the S0 group was lower than that in the other groups. These results indicate that the dietary inclusion of 10%–20% FDPE can be used as practical diets in L. vannamei farmed under a clear water system. |
