Understanding The Fatty Acid Metabolism In Genetically Improved Farmed Tilapia Using The Whole Body Fatty Acid Balance Method

The impact of dietary lipid source and tilapia genotype was investigated in this study. Two semipurified diets were formulated with similar ingredients except for the fish oil or the blended vegetable oil (BVO). BVO was able to totally replace FO in tilapia diets without affecting growth (P > 0.05). The fatty acid composition of dietary lipid was mirrored in fish tissues. Oxidized 18:3n3 and 18:2n6 were abundant in red tilapia fed the BVO diet. Dietary BVO led to enhanced LC-PUFA synthesis from 18:3n3. Total elongation, desaturation and neogenesis were greater in Genetically Improved Farmed Tilapia (GIFT) fed the BVO diet. GIFT is suggested to have higher capability in bio-converting LC-PUFA from C18 PUFA compared to red tilapia