Effect of marine red yeast Rhodosporidium paludigenum on growth and antioxidant competence of Litopenaeus vannamei

The effects of orally administered marine red yeast Rhodosporidium paludigenum on growth performance and antioxidant competence of Litopenaeus vannamei were evaluated in a six-week feeding trial. The shrimps were fed with three diets, including the control diet, the diet containing 1% dry yeast and the diet containing 10(8) yeasts g(-1) diet. R. paludigenum supplementation caused significant increase in WG, SGR and survival rate of the shrimps as compared with the control group (p<0.05). No statistical differences were found in MDA content of serum and hepatopancreases. Higher T-AOC of serum and higher SOD, GPX activities of hepatopancreases from L vannamei were observed in the group fed with the dry yeast diet. In addition higher T-AOC, CAT, SOD, GPX activities in serum and higher SOD, GPX activities of hepatopancreases of shrimps were observed in the group fed with live yeast diet. The statistical differences were found in MDA content of muscle, and SOD activities were significantly lower in the groups fed with the live yeast diet and the dry yeast diet as compared with the control group (p<0.05). The results showed that the diet supplemented with R. paludigenum could enhance the growth performance and antioxidant competence of L vannamei, and R. paludigenum had the potential to be a promising probiotic. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.