Effects of dietary mannan oligosaccharide on growth, survival, physiological, immunological and gut morphological conditions of black tiger prawn (Penaeus monodon Fabricius 1798)

Abstract

The aim of this experiment was to determine the effects of dietary inclusion with mannan oligosaccharide (Bio-Mos, Alltech, Nicholasville, KY, USA) on growth, survival, physiological and immunological conditions and gut morphology of the black tiger prawn (Penaeus monodon). Five diets supplemented with MOS at 0 g kg−1 (control diet), 1, 2, 4 and 8 g kg−1 were fed to the prawn juveniles (0.4 ± 0.06 g, total weight) for the duration of 63 days. Growth was the highest (P < 0.05) when the prawns were fed the 1 g kg−1 MOS included diet. Wet tail muscle index (Tw/B), dry tail muscle index (Td/B) and tail muscle protein (Tmp) were higher (P < 0.05) in the prawns fed MOS included diets MOS compared with the prawns fed the control diet. Total haemocyte counts (THCs) of the prawns fed MOS included diets were higher (P < 0.05) than THCs of the prawns fed the control diet. Epithelium layer and epidermal cell density of the gut of the prawns fed 1 g kg−1 and 2 g kg−1 MOS diets were better than the prawns fed the control and other MOS diets. The results imply a positive effect of dietary supplementation of 1–2 g kg−1 MOS in the culture of black tiger prawns.