Effect of insoluble fiber from passion fruit residue on the performance and digestive health of tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum)

• Grant number: 25/09334-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: September 01, 2025
• End date: November 30, 2028
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry - Animal Nutrition and Feeding
• Principal Investigator: Leonardo Susumu Takahashi
• Grantee: Thaisa Sales Costa
• Host Institution: Centro de Aquicultura (CAUNESP). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Jaboticabal. Jaboticabal , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 23/17195-0 - New perspectives on dietary fiber in fish feed: use of passion fruit residue in tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum) feed and the effects on digestibility, physiology and metabolism, AP.R

Abstract

Brazilian aquaculture faces the challenge of reducing commercial feed costs without compromising the zootechnical performance and health of farmed fish. In this context, the use of agro-industrial by-products rich in dietary fiber, such as passion fruit residue (Passiflora edulis), emerges as a sustainable and functional alternative. This project aims to investigate the effects of including different levels of insoluble dietary fiber from passion fruit residue in the diets of juvenile tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum), a native species that stands out in national fish farming. The hypothesis is that insoluble fiber will act as an intestinal and metabolic modulator, promoting gains in performance, digestive health, and feed efficiency. The experiment will be conducted in a completely randomized design, with five inclusion levels (0, 2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10%) of the residue in isoprotein and isoenergetic diets, over a period of 90 days. Zootechnical performance parameters, intestinal morphometry, tissue composition, metabolomic profiles (by plasma and intestinal content NMR), digestive and liver enzyme activity, in addition to the characterization of the intestinal microbiota by sequencing the 16S rRNA gene will be evaluated. Multivariate techniques and network analyses will be applied to integrate the data obtained, enabling the identification of functional relationships between diet, microbiota, metabolism and animal performance. The expected results include improvements in growth and feed conversion, beneficial changes in intestinal morphology, positive modulation of the microbiota and increased production of functional metabolites, such as short-chain fatty acids.