Identification and evaluation of amino acids from Florida pompano (Trachinotus carolinus) natural preys as potential food stimulants

• Grant number: 17/20802-5
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: January 01, 2018
• End date: July 31, 2022
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Fishery Resources and Fishery Engineering - Aquaculture
• Principal Investigator: Tânia Marcia Costa
• Grantee: Caio Akira Miyai
• Host Institution: Centro de Aquicultura (CAUNESP). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Jaboticabal. Jaboticabal , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 18/24071-8 - Alternative plant protein sources supplemented with feeding stimulants from natural prey as replacement of fishmeal in diets for juvenile Florida pompano, BE.EP.PD

Abstract

Florida pompano (Trachinotus carolinus) is a highly prized fish by recreational and commercial fishers, with a growing interest in marine finfish aquaculture. However, growth has been one of the major problems found in this species. One way to stimulate fish growth is to increase food intake using food stimulants and the action of these stimulants is more effective when it is derived from fish's natural prey. The present study aims to identify which chemical substances present in the aqueous extract of mole crab (Emerita brasiliensis, the main pompano's natural prey) act as food stimulants and if the addition of these substances in the aquafeed increases its palatability, allowing the partial replacement of fish meal per plant feedstuff (soybean), reducing the cost. For this, the identification and categorization of the amino acids from the aqueous mole crab homogenate (AMH) will be carried out through chromatographic separation. After the identification and categorization of amino acids, a combination of the main amino acids of each category will be tested to analyze its stimulating action. Once the amino acid group that best act as food stimulants have been identified, pompano will be subjected to this combination under the hypothesis that fish submitted to these substances recognize them as food stimulants, by having their food motivation increased and consequently, higher food intake and growth (AU)