Effect of Paulownia fortunei extract on growth performance and digestive enzymatic activities in goldfish (Carassius auratus)

Abstract

Introduction: This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of different levels of
supplementation of P. fortunei on the growth performance and digestive enzymatic activities
of goldfish (Carassius auratus) for 8 weeks.
Materials & Methods: Goldfish (with an average initial weight of 12±0.10g) were divided
into four experimental treatments with three replicates (30 fish/ replicate) which contained
control treatment (without paulownia extract) and three treatments were supplemented with
paulownia extracts 1, 2, and 3 percent/kg diet.
Results: The results showed that the highest final weight, weight gain, specific growth rate,
and condition factor were observed in fish fed with 3% paulownia extract. Significant
differences were observed in the activity of digestive enzymes (proteases, amylase, and
lipase). The highest proteases, amylase, and lipase activities were observed in paulownia
extract at 3%.
Conclusion: The results of this study showed that goldfish fed the diet containing paulownia
extract had better growth performance and activity of digestive enzymes compared to other
groups. Therefore, the administration of paulownia extract at 3% is recommended to use in
the goldfish diet.