Metabolic parameters of pacu fed different oil sources

The objective of this work was to evaluate the metabolic parameters of pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus) fed diets with different oils. The experiment was conducted in the laboratory, on May 2009, during 28 days. Sixty four fish with initial weight of 61 g, kept in 250 L tanks, were used. The treatments were: control diet plus olive oil; control diet plus corn oil; control diet plus fish oil; and control diet plus corn oil and fish oil. A completely randomized design was used, with four replicates and a 4x4 factorial arrangement (four diets and four sampling times: 7, 14, 21, and 28 days). The following were evaluated: cholesterol and lipoprotein blood levels, muscle chemical composition, and activity of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) and malic enzyme (ME). The data were subjected to analysis of variance, comparisons of means using the Tukey test, and to regression analysis. There were no differences in muscle levels of moisture or ash, but changes were observed in lipid and protein deposition, depending on collection time, for all treatments. The diets interfered in the evaluated blood parameters. G6PD activity is higher than that of ME, being higher in animals fed with olive and corn oil, suggesting more lipid deposition in the muscles of these fish. Therefore, the lipid metabolism of pacu is influenced by the lipid composition of the diet.