The effect of an extruded feed with a symbiotic formulation on the production of clary catfish

Background and Aim. This article presents the results of a study on the effectiveness of extruded feed containing a formulation of symbiotic bacteria on the performance of catfish production and its meat quality as assessed by veterinary and sanitary indicators. The study aimed to develop extruded feed based on a symbiotic formulation and to determine the effectiveness of the feed on the production of clary catfish meat. Materials and Methods. Experimental work was carried out on the platform of the International Scientific Research center “Fisheries” and S.Seifullin Kazakh Agrotechnical Research University (S. Seifullin KATRU). In total, 135 kg of feed was used to feed young African clary catfish at a rate of 30 g per fish per day over 40 days. The fish were divided into two pools, with 100 individuals in each group. To assess the effectiveness of feed, a weekly total catch of the two pools was carried out to determine the mass of fish. To determine the Fulton fatness coefficient (kc), 20 fish were measured from each group. Veterinary and sanitary assessments of fish meat were carried out using generally accepted organoleptic and physico-chemical research methods. Results. On the 40th day, a significant difference was observed in all weight gain indicators on day 40: the mean fish weights were 570 ± 17.8 and 565 ± 18.2 g in the Control and Experimental groups, respectively (P < 0.01). Indeed, the chemical composition of meat improved in terms of the mass fractions of protein and fat: the mass fraction of protein was 16.22 and 17.38% for the Control and Experimental groups, respectively, and 3.90 and 4.90% for the mass fraction of fat. Conclusion. The novelty of this research is to develop extruded feed based on a symbiotic formulation and to determine the effectiveness of the feed on the production of clary catfish meat. One formulation of extruded feed with a symbiotic was obtained. The effect of symbiotic feed on the productive performance of the African catfish has been studied. A veterinary and sanitary assessment was carried out to determine the nutritional value of fish meat. All indicators of the amino acid, vitamin, and mineral composition of fish meat in both groups were normal.