Utilization of glucose and Cornstarch by juvenile grass carp

An experiment was conducted in a recirculation system to study the carbohydrate utilization of juvenile grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idella (11.3 +/- 10.1 g) fed a 30% glucose or cornstarch diet for 70 d and maintained at 28.9 +/- 0.5 degreesC. While weight gain, feed efficiency, protein efficiency ratio, carcass-to-body weight ratio, and whole-body moisture were significantly higher (P < 0.05), the viscera-to-body weight ratio, mesenteric fat index, and whole-body and tissue lipid levels were lower in the glucose than in the cornstarch group. These results showed that carbohydrate utilization by juvenile grass carp was affected by the complexity of the carbohydrates, which, in turn, resulted in different degrees of enlarged hepatopancreas and viscera as well as increased body and tissue lipid depositions.