Growth performance and body composition of the African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) juveniles fed diets supplemented with Afrostyrax lepidophyllus fruit powder

To minimize the dependence of pisciculture on imported feed and improve the production of fish through the valorization of local feeds, this study was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary inclusion of Afrostyrax lepidophyllus fruit powder on the growth and chemical composition of Clarias gariepinus juveniles. The juveniles weighing 13 +/- 3.1 g were divided into four treatments in triplicates and fed with diets containing 0 (T0 or control), 2 (T-1), 4 (T-2), and 6 (T-3) g/kg A. lepidophyllus fruit powder for 63 days. The feeding rate was 5% of their body weight. The results showed that adding different levels of A. lepidophyllus fruit powder to the diets improved growth, feed utilization, and carcass quality attributes. The African catfish fed with T3 diet recorded higher final weight (43.44 +/- 0.23 g), weight gain (WG, 31.43 +/- 0.41 g), feed conversion ratio (FCR, 0.91 +/- 0.05), and protein efficiency ratio (PER, 2.67 +/- 0.14) than those recorded in the control group (40.20 g final weight, 27.20 +/- 0.52 g WG, 1.1 +/- 0.05 FCR, and 2.24 +/- 0.10 PER). The same trend was observed in the body macro-nutrient retention (32.33 +/- 0.58 % crude protein, 25.33 +/- 0.58 % lipid, and 23.33 +/- 0.58 % ash) compared to the control group (20.67 +/- 0.58 % crude protein, 16.00 +/- 0.00 % lipid, and 17.33 +/- 0.58 % ash). Finally, this study clearly showed that dietary inclusion of A. lepidophyllus fruit powder at 6 g/kg improves growth performance, feed nutrient utilization, and body composition in juvenile C. gariepinus.