Effect of dietary phosphatidylcholine on growth and lipid composition of post-larval <i>Penaeus vannamei</i> (Boone)

Dietary phospholipids and particularly phosphatidylcholine have been found to enhance growth and survival in penaeid shrimp, an effect which has been attributed to their limited ability to synthesize phospholipids de novo. However, most of the studies made so far have used low purity phospholipids and therefore, precise requirements for dietary phosphatidylcholine among several species of shrimp have been difficult to establish.As part of a broad study which aims to study lipid nutrition in penaeid shrimp, the dietary effect of purified phosphatidylcholine (PC) on growth, survival, stress resistance and body lipid composition of post-larval Penaeus vannamei fed semi-purified microbound diets was evaluated. Changes on the body lipid classes and fatty acid compositions of P. vannamei were studied and associated with changes in growth rates. The results indicate a phosphatidylcholine requirement for growth of postlarval P. vannamei of approximately 1.5% provided in the diets as 1.5 or 6.5%, respectively, or 95% pure or 23% pure PC