Evaluation of Dietary Garlic (Allium sativum) extract on Growth, Survival and Stress Biomarkers on Heteroclarias fingerlings under Laboratory conditions in Minna, Nigeria

Abstract

An Eight-week study was carried out on effects of garlic (Allium sativum) on some indices of growth performance and stress biomarkers in Heteroclarias fingerlings. Fifteen fingerlings of initial mean weight (1.90±0.21g) were used and randomly separated into four experimental groups (0, 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 % garlic inclusion) with 2 replicates and fed twice daily till satiation. Survival rates, stress biomarkers, growth and physicochemical parameters were determined based on standard experimental procedures. Phytochemical analyses showed that garlic was richest in tannin (2.52 ± 0.12 g/100g). Feeding fingerlings with 1.5 % inclusion affected total length and body weight during the study period. This inclusion regimen had the highest (p<0.05) effects on final body weight (14.40±2.67 g), weight gain (12.5±0.40 g), percentage weight gain (1250.00 %), length gain (8.36±0.21 cm) and survival rate (97.50 %). Superoxide dismutase and Catalase activities in serum were also highest (p<0.05) in this inclusion regimen, 1.23±0.03 and 4.67±0.34 U/L, respectively. However, there were no significant differences (p>0.05) in physicochemical properties of garlic-supplemented-diets and control water media. The study revealed that garlic can be used as a feed additive in aquaculture to improve fish growth and disease resistance. There is therefore, the need to study the mechanism of activities of the active components of dietary garlic in fish culturing.