The effects of feed supplemented with omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on cultured abalone

The long chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC n-3 PUFA) are associated with a broad range of health benefits including reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases, arthritis and certain cancers. In addition, they have also been found to play a role in reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, depression and schizophrenia. Seafoods are the main sources of LC n-3 PUFA. The LC n-3 PUFA and total lipid contents of marine animals can be influenced by a range of biological and environmental factors such as the diet of animals, water temperature, and the reproductive cycle. This research looked at the effects of dietary fish oil (FO) supplements on tissue fatty acid composition, expression of desaturase and elongase genes and growth performance of adult cultured Jade Tiger hybrid abalone. It also examined the effects of replacement of FO with vegetable oils on fatty acid composition, expression of desaturase and elongase genes, and growth performance of abalone. In addition the contents of total lipid and fatty acid of tissues were also examined over four seasons