supplemented with Cordyceps at different concentrations
| Livestock Research for Rural Development 37 (3) 2025 | LRRD Search | LRRD Misssion | Guide for preparation of papers | LRRD Newsletter | Citation of this paper |
A 60-day experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of Cordyceps militaris extract supplementation on the growth performance of striped catfish (Pangasius hypophthalmus) fingerlings. The experiment consisted of five feed treatments with Cordyceps militaris extract supplementation levels of 0% (control), 0.18%, 0.24%, 0.36% and 0.47%, arranged in a completely randomized design with three replicates per treatment. Fish were reared in 500 L composite tanks filled with 400 L of water, at an initial stocking density of 200 fish per tank, with an average initial weight of 1.16 g/fish. Results indicated that fish in treatments supplemented with Cordyceps militaris extract exhibited significantly higher growth rates and daily weight gain compared to the control group. The highest growth performance was observed in the 0.47% supplementation group, while the control group had the lowest growth rates. The survival rate showed no significant differences among treatments groups supplemented with Cordyceps but significant higher than the control group. Inaddition, the feed conversion ratio (FCR) was significantly improved in supplemented groups compared to the control. Therefore, the optimal supplementation level of Cordycepsin striped catfish feed for enhancing growth and feed efficiency was determined to be 0.47%.
Keywords: striped catfish, Cordyceps militaris, extract, growth, Pangasius hypophthalmus, survival rate
According to many households raising Pangasius fry in the Mekong Delta, as well as research results of scientists, the survival rate in Pangasius fry farming is currently very low, below 10%. Notably, Pangasius fry have a very high loss rate in the first 30 days after releasing the fry into the nursery pond. There are many reasons affecting the survival rate of fry such as: Poor quality fry; improper transportation and release of fry, fry being destroyed by harmful objects (evil fish, tadpoles, etc.), especially due to lack of natural food sources or because farmers provide food sources that are not suitable for the needs as well as insufficient nutrients in natural food. The food source does not meet the needs to improve the growth rate, health and survival rate of fish such as lack of essential fatty acids, amino acids and bioactive compounds, etc. Therefore, finding additional sources of raw materials for fish feed at fish farms is very necessary at all stages. One of the supplements of interest is the extract of the fungus Cordyceps. Cordyceps is a fungus that parasitizes the larvae, pupae, or adults of several species of insects. The first fungus identified by Chinese scientists in the mountains of the Tibetan Plateau belonged to the genus Cordyceps, C. sinensis , which parasitizes the larvae of butterflies of the genus Thitarodes. In 1878, scientists discovered that C. militaris also parasitizes the larvae of insects of the genus Thitarodes (Holliday and Cleaver 2008). Cordycepin and adenosine are the main compounds in Cordyceps extract (Park et al 2021). In aquaculture, Cordyceps mushroom has been tested as a supplement to tilapia feed in the form of fine powder at levels of 5, 10, 20 and 40g/kg of feed, showing that supplementation at the recommended feed ratio of 10g/kg of Cordycepson tilapia effectively improved growth performance and health status (Van Doan et al 2017a; Van Doan et al 2017b). In addition, the application of Cordyceps in shrimp seed production is noted to have the ability to enhance immunity, increase the ability to withstand the environment of postlarvae, and reduce stress for parent shrimp (Vietnam Fisheries 2021). Shrimp larvae fed with Cordyceps help increase the immune system, healthy offspring, and increase resistance to harsh environmental fluctuations. In particular, the larval stage strongly absorbs Cordyceps, the gilthead is strong, the survival rate is superior, and the pond productivity is increased (Linh 2021). Recent studies are also trying to find herbs and supplements similar to prebiotics to improve the growth of Pangasius. Research by Hang and Hoa (2020a; b) found that pomegranate (Punica granatum)and Phyllanthus amarus extracts help improve fish growth, Lan et al (2024) also found that adding Biochar and Hem also helps improve the growth rate of Pangasius fry. However, finding more supplements in feed to improve Pangasius growth is a potential direction, giving people more options in the aquaculture process.
The study was conducted at the experimental aquaculture farm of An Giang University, Vietnam.
Striped catfish fingerlings had the weight around 1g/fish, were selected based on health, uniform size, and absence of deformities (Figure 1). Fish was be acclimatized in the experimental at least 2 weeks before starting the experiment.
The fish were reared in 500 L composite tanks filled with 400 L of water at a stocking density of 200 fish per tank (Figure 2). The experiment followed a completely randomized design with five treatments and three replicates per treatment:
Cm0: Control (0% extract)
Cm0.18: 0.18% Cordyceps militaris extract
Cm0.24: 0.24% Cordyceps militaris extract
Cm0.36: 0.36% Cordyceps militaris extract
Cm0.47: 0.47% Cordyceps militaris extract
Fish were fed a formulated pellet diet containing 40% protein. Feed was supplemented with Cordyceps militaris extract obtained from Surio Co., Ltd., which using the remaining mushroom base after harvesting Cordyceps . After that, dry by sublimating drying method, and proceed extract by the method of Zhang et al (2012). The extract was incorporated into the feed by spraying and drying at 60°C for 6 hours, then feed was be kept in freezer during the experiment time. Fish were fed three times daily (07:30, 12:00, 17:00) for 60 days.
Water quality parameters, including temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), NH3/NH4+, and NO2-, were monitored every five days at 06:00 and 15:00 using Sera test kits.
Growth performance was evaluated based on weight gain (WG), daily weight gain (DWG), specific growth rate (SGR), survival rate (SR), and feed conversion ratio (FCR) using standard formulas:
Daily weight gain (DWG, g/day):
DWG (g/day) = (final weight- initial)/Days of experiment
Specific growth rate (SGR, %/day):
SGR (%/day) = [(ln final weight – ln initial weight)/days of experiment]x 100
Feed conversion ratio (FCR):
FCR = Feed dry matter intake/weight gain of fish
Survival rate (SR, %):
SR (%) = 100[number of fish harvested/initial number of fish]
Feed composition was analyzed for dry matter, ash, lipid, and protein content using AOAC (2000) methods.
Statistical analyses were conducted using the general linear model procedure (GLM) of the Minitab 16.0 statistical software (Minitab 2010). Means and standard errors were calculated. One-way ANOVA and DUNCAN tests were used to compare means between treatment groups.
Temperature, pH and dissolved oxygen throughout the experiment were always favorable for the growth of Pangasius. The temperature in the fish tanks ranged from 26 to 29°C and was within the suitable temperature range for the good growth of Pangasius (Huong et al 2020). The pH in the morning and afternoon were similar, ranging from 7.5 - 7.7. Dissolved oxygen is a very important environmental factor for the fish farming process, directly affecting the respiration and energy conversion capacity of fish. Dissolved oxygen suitable for fish growth is from 5mg/L (Phu 2006), the results of monitoring DO content throughout the experiment ranged from 7.2 - 7.8mg/L. This DO range was very suitable for the growth of Pangasiusfingerlings. Other environmental factors such as NH3/NH4+ and NO2- were very low throughout the experiment and did not affect fish growth.
Striped catfish supplemented with Cordyceps militaris extract exhibited significantly higher final weights, SGR and DWG compared to the control group (p < 0.05) (Table 1). The highest growth performance was observed in the treatment 0.47% supplementation group, with a final weight of 33.08 g, SGR of 5.66%/day and DWG of 0.73 g/day, while the control treatment group had the lowest performance (10.59 g final weight, 3.72%/day SGR, and 0.33 g/day DWG) (Table 1 and Figure1). These findings align with previous studies using herbal extracts and biochar supplements to enhance striped catfish growth. In which, the results of this study were higher the results of Giang et al (2016) when supplementing seaweed Sargassum microcystum extract into the diet of striped catfish as well as Hang and Hoa (2020a) supplemented Phyllanthus urinariainto Pangasiusfeed. In addition, the growth results of this experiment were also higher than those of adding Hem and biochar to the diet of Pangasius (Lan et al 2024). This shows that adding liquid extracted from Cordyceps helps fish grow well.
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Table 1. Growth performance of Pangasius when fed feed supplemented with Cordyceps at different concentrations |
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Treatments |
p |
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|
Cm0 |
Cm0.18 |
Cm0.24 |
Cm0.36 |
Cm0.47 |
||||
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Initial weight (g/ind) |
1.12 ± 0.0 |
1.10 ± 0.07 |
1.18 ± 0.18 |
1.05 ± 0.06 |
1.08 ± 0.02 |
0.383 |
||
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Final weight (g/ind) |
10.59c± 1.25 |
13.43c± 1.25 |
16.08bc± 1.25 |
21.21b± 1.25 |
33.08a± 1.25 |
0.0001 |
||
|
DWG (g/day) |
0.33c± 0.029 |
0.37bc± 0.029 |
0.49b± 0.029 |
0.5b± 0.029 |
0.73a± 0.029 |
0.0001 |
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SGR (%/day) |
3.72d ± 0.34 |
4.17cd ±0.24 |
4.42bc ±0.22 |
5.00b ±0.05 |
5.66a ±0.16 |
0.0001 |
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Values are given as Mean ± Stdev . Means with different superscript letters within rows are significantly different (p<0.05). |
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| Figure 1. Specific growth rate of striped
catfish when fed feed supplemented with Cordyceps at different concentrations |
After 60 days of rearing, the survival rate of striped catfish was highest in the treatment 0.47% supplementation group (96.13%) and lowest in the control treatment group (75.60%), with significant differences among treatments (p < 0.05) (Table 2). This result is similar to the study of (Lan et al 2024; Lan et al 2016) when adding HEM and biochar to the Pangasius feed which also helped the fish have a better survival rate.
FCR improved with extract supplementation, with the lowest FCR observed in the 0.47% group (1.33) and the highest in the control (1.73) and there was a statistically significant difference between treatments (p < 0.05) (Table 2). These results support findings from (Van Doan et al 2017a; Van Doan et al 2017b), highlighting the potential of Cordyceps militaris to enhance fish productivity.
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Table 2. Feed conversion rate and survival rate of Pangasius in the experiment when fed feed supplemented with Cordycepsat different levels |
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Treatments |
p |
|||||||
|
Cm0 |
Cm0.18 |
Cm0.24 |
Cm0.36 |
Cm0.47 |
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SR (%) |
75.6b ± 2.87 |
82.9ab ± 2.87 |
90.3a ± 2.87 |
93.9a ± 2.87 |
96.1a ± 2.87 |
0.003 |
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FCR |
1.73a±0.05 |
1.63ab±0.05 |
1.55abc±0.05 |
1.48bc±0.05 |
1.33c±0.05 |
0.002 |
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Values are given as Mean ± Stdev . Means with different superscript letters within rows are significantly different (p<0.05). |
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The addition of Cordyceps extract to feed improved the growth of striped catfish fingerlings. The suplement of 0.47% Cordyceps extract give the best growth performance for catfish.
The feed efficiency was significantly improved when adding Cordyceps extract into feed which helping to increase fish farming productivity.
Supplementation with Cordyceps militaris extract significantly improved survival rates of striped catfish fingerlings, with the optimal inclusion level being 0.47%.
This research is funded by Vietnam National University HoChiMinh City (VNU-HCM) under grant number C2024-16-09.
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