Development of microbound diet and its application on Macrobrachium rosenbergii larvae and postlarvae

The aquaculture sector actively seeks innovative methods to enhance growth and nutrition in aquatic organisms. Microbound diets (MBDs), known for their finely ground pellets often combined with binders to encapsulate nutrients are gaining prominence. This study aimed to develop an MBD and assess its impact on the growth and body composition of giant freshwater prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii larvae and postlarvae (PL) through two feeding trials. Various binders (agar, zein, alginate, carrageenan, and carboxymethyl cellulose) were tested during the development of MBD and were compared with live feed (rotifer). The first feeding trial demonstrated improved larval growth with MBD with agar, reaching an average of Stage XII, compared to those fed the control diet, which only reached Stage IX. The second feeding trial investigated the effect of feeding regimes on giant freshwater prawn PL, consisting of (i) one-time feeding in the morning, (ii) one-time feeding at night, (iii) two-time feeding, (iv) three-time feeding, and (v) four-time feeding. Results showed that two-time feeding had comparable survival rates and growth performance to three-time feeding (survival rate= 43–45 % and weight gain= 0.09–0.11 g), with the best feed conversion ratio in two-time feeding (1.70) and the highest level of highly unsaturated fatty acids (25–26 %) in PL fed one-time and three-time. Overall results suggest that MBD with agar holds promise as a binder with two-time and three-time feeding, enhancing the quality of giant freshwater prawn PL. Further research on extending the duration of the experiment is recommended to assess PL moulting patterns and performance, as varied feeding regimes may significantly impact growth and moulting.