Effect of Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) Seed Processing on the Diets of Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus): Growth, Antinutrients, and Blood Parameters

Background: Jackfruit seeds have been studied in the pharmaceutical industry, one way of exploiting the potential of this ingredient could be as a protein source in the elaboration of fish food. Jackfruit seeds were subjected to different processes to obtain meals to be added to the diet of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). The effects of this addition on growth, elimination of antinutritional factors, and repercussion on the health of tilapia was evaluated. Method: For the bioassay of the productive yield, three experimental diets were prepared, consisting of a control diet of fishmeal and four treatments: raw jackfruit seeds (RJS), hulled jackfruit seeds (HJS), extruded jackfruit seeds (EJS) and hulled and extruded jackfruit seeds (HEJS). For the growth study, 1600-L experimental units were used. Three replicates per treatment were used, initial weight of tilapias was of 1.8±0.2 g. At the end of the feeding study, a blood sample was taken from the caudal vein, using a hypodermic syringe and EDTA as anticoagulant for the hematology (hemoglobin/hematocrit). Results: Significant differences among treatments using jackfruit seeds, subjected to hulling and extrusion (CEJS) processes, were observed in weight gain (24.3±1.1 g), whereas blood parameters, the red blood cells (RBC) count and the hematocrit (Hct) were significantly higher in the jackfruit seeds subjected to only one treatment (39.8±6.49) respect to the control diet (27.4±3.18). Regarding the MCH and MCHC variables, lower values were observed with the diets using EDJS, showing a significant diminution in the RBC concentration (13.2±2.5) compared to the control diet (19.3±4.65). The processes used for the jackfruit seeds allowed formulating diets with a higher protein quality, which resulted in an increment in weight gain, without observing any effect on the health indicators and nutritional status of fish.