Metabolic and digestive enzyme activity of
Pangasianodon hypophthalmus (Sauvage, 1878)
fingerlings in response to alternate feeding of
different protein levels in the diet
A feeding trial was conducted for 90 days to
assess the metabolic and digestive enzyme activity
in response to alternate or mixed feeding of different
protein levels in the diet of Pangasianodon
hypophthalmus fingerlings. One hundred and forty
four fingerlings with an average weight of 5.0–
5.5 g were distributed into four experimental
groups each with triplicate. Four iso-caloric diets
with varying level of crude protein viz., 35%,
30%, 25% and 20% were made and designated as
diet 35P, 30P, 25P and 20P respectively. Four
treatments were maintained based on four different
feeding schedules such as continuous feeding
of diet 35P (35P/35P), alternate feeding of 1 day
diet 35P next day diet 30P (35P/30P), alternate
feeding of 1 day diet 35P next day diet 25P (35P/
25P) and alternate feeding of 1 day diet 35P next
day diet 20P (35P/20P). As a result, specific
growth rate (SGR) and weight gain percentage
were relatively higher in treatment (35P/25P)
followed by (35P/35P) and (35P/30P). The
metabolic enzymes such as lactate dehydrogenase
(LDH), malate dehydrogenase (MDH),
glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH),
Glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase), alkaline phosphatase
(ALP), acid phosphatase (ACP), alanine
aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase
(AST) were expressed better in (35P/35P)
group followed by (35P/25P) and (35P/30P)
groups. The digestive enzymes, protease and lipase
activities were higher in (35P/35P) and (35P/
25P) groups. The present study revealed that the
better nutrient utilization and growth of 35P/25P
group is because of their balanced digestive and
metabolic enzyme activities through alternate level
of higher and lower protein diet