Mucilage Extraction from Basil (Ocimum basilicum) and its Applications in the Diets of Cyprinus carpio Fingerlings

Mucilage extracted from the dried sweet basil Ocimum basilicum and used as a binder in the diets of Cyprinus carpio fingerlings as an alternative to some traditional binders. Three diets were tested, i.e. treatment T1 (control), treatment (T2) and treatment (T3), which contained 0, 1 and 2% from basil mucilage, respectively. Basil mucilage inclusion did not affect the chemical composition of the experimental diets. The results of the current experiment showed that treatment T2 was the best comparing to the remaining treatments in terms of food intake and diet acceptance by fishes. This is evident from physical and chemical tests in terms of buoyancy, stability, fragmentation, density and floating time. In summary, the study has concluded that the process of extracting this gel from basil is simple and cheap, in addition to being a natural polymer.