Research Article: Dietary administration of aqueous Zingiber officinale extract on growth performance, antioxidant activity and resistance of shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei against Photobacterium damselae

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of Zingiber officinale extract (ZE) on growth performance, antioxidant activity and resistance of shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) challenged with Photobacterium damselae bacteria. A total of 600 post larvae shrimps (initial weight, 1.06 ± 0.7 g) were randomly distributed into 12 fiberglass tanks representing four treatments at a rate of 50 shrimp in each tank. The control shrimp group (ZE0) was fed a ZE free basal diet. Other shrimp groups were fed the basal diet supplemented with 0.5 (ZE 0.5), 1.0 (ZE1) and 1.5 (ZE 1.5) g kg-1 diet. Diets were offered to shrimp at a feeding rate of 10% of live body weight for 8 weeks. After 8 week experimental trial 30 shrimp from each group was infected with LD70 bacteria P. damselae over 10 days to evaluated disease resistance of infected shrimp. Results revealed that growth performance (WG, SGR, FW and PER), the antioxidant activity (SOD, PO, GPx, CAT) and cumulative mortality percentage of the shrimp have significantly increased (p <0.05) in the ZE1 group compared with the other groups. Meanwhile, the lowest FCR and MDA value observed in shrimp fed ZE1 supplemented diet. It can be concluded that Z. officinale extract at 1g kg-1(ZE1) diet seems to be the most appropriate level for increasing growth performance antioxidant activity and disease resistance of L. vannamei