Effects of including triticale on growth performance, digestive enzyme activity, and growth-related genes of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)

Triticale is a promising plant ingredient as a source of protein and carbohydrates which is recommended for aquafeed. Therefore, five isonitrogenous and isolipidic diets were formulated to include triticale at 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20% and fed for Nile tilapia (14.4 +/- 0.02 g) for 60 days. The obtained results revealed that no significant linear or quadratic effects were observed on the FBW, WG, and SGR due to using triticale in tilapia diets up to 20% level (P > .05), whereas tilapia fed triticale at 5, 10, and 15% exhibited insignificant differences with fish fed the control diet. The detected hematological and biochemical blood variables indicated that tilapia fed with or without triticale were in a stable health condition (P > .05), while no differences (P > .05) were shown on the activity of CAT and the concentration of MDA. The incorporation of triticale in tilapia diet did not influence the expressions of IGF-1, FAS, LPL, and myostatin in which probably refers to the regular growth of fish under the current trial conditions (P > .05). In conclusion, the obtained results revealed that using triticale at 5-20% has no adverse effects on the growth performance, blood variables, and immune response of Nile tilapia.