Dietary Niacin Requirement of GIFT Tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus, Reared in Freshwater

The aim of our experiment was to determine the dietary niacin requirement of genetically improved farmed tilapia (GIFT) tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus, reared in freshwater. Six semi-purified diets were formulated to contain graded levels of niacin (6.4 [basal diet], 16.8, 36.8, 68.5, 143.8, and 297.8 mg/kg). Each diet was fed to triplicate groups of 30 fish (initial average weight 87.2 +/- 3.3 g) for 12 wk in 5.6-m(3) aquaria (r=1.5m, h=0.8m). Results showed that the weight gain rate (WGR) of the fish increased linearly with dietary niacin levels increasing, but there were no further benefits above 36.8 mg/kg. The niacin concentrations in fish livers were positively correlated with dietary levels of niacin and plateaued when niacin in diet exceeded 84.6 mg/kg. With increasing dietary niacin level, serum high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC) content significantly increased, while serum triacylglycerol (TG) content significantly decreased (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in serum glucose (GLU) and total cholesterol (T-CHO) contents in the separate fish groups (P > 0.05). Broken-line regression analysis showed that GIFT tilapia (87-376 g) require a minimum of 20.4 mg/kg niacin in the diet for maximal growth, and 84.6 mg/kg for the highest liver niacin accumulation.