Journal of Tropical Oceanography ›› 2013, Vol. 32 ›› Issue (3): 59-64.doi: 10.11978/j.issn.1009-5470.2013.03.009cstr: 32234.14.j.issn.1009-5470.2013.03.009

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Analysis of nutritional value and observation of biological characteristics in microalga Amphora sp. as food for sea cucumber Stichopus horrens

ZHOU Yi-chun1, 2, PENG Peng-fei1, 2, HU Chao-qun1, ZHONG Ming1, 2, CHEN Yan-feng1, ZHAO Zhe1, XIA Jian-jun1   

  1. 1. South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Graduate University of Chinese Academy of sciences, Guangzhou 510301, China; 2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
  • Received:2012-01-17 Revised:2012-05-21 Online:2013-08-27 Published:2013-08-28
  • Contact: 胡超群, 男, 研究员。E-mail: cqhu@scsio.ac.cn

Abstract:

Amphorasp., a type of microalgae, has been used as feed of Stichopus horrensduring its larval stage in feeding experiment. In the study, to better understand the value of Amphorasp. as feed of tropical sea cucumber, we characterized the biological features using light and scanning electron microscopy, such as size and adhesion ability, and also measured the nutritional components and growth characteristics. Our results show that size of Amphorasp. is 16-20 μm × 9-14 μm. The specific growth rate (SGR) is 0.42 per day and it shows strong adhesion ability. Analysis of nutritional components indicates that contents of carbohydrates, ash, protein, and fat are respectively 30.80%, 27.70%, 26.33%, and 6.40% in Amphorasp. cell. Furthermore, contents of essential amino-acid (EAA) and unsaturated fatty acid (UFA) are very high in Amphorasp. cell, at 44.96% and 54.471%, respectively. Among them, the percentage of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) is 22.661%, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and arachidonic acid (AA) are 5.622% and 3.26%, respectively, while linoleic acid and linolenic acid is only 2.112%. Overall, it can be concluded that Amphorasp. has the excellent biological characteristics, including moderate cell size, strong adhesion ability, weak movement, as well as reasonable nutrition content, and should be a good choice for feeding tropical sea cucumber at its larval stage. The data in the study also provide theoretical basis for developing artificial feeds for tropical sea cucumber.

Key words: Amphora sp., morphology, nutrients composition, dietary value

CLC Number: 

  • S816.15