Haematological and Serum Biochemical Responses of African Catfish, Clarias gariepinus juveniles to Dietary Replacement of Soybean Meal with Fermented Albizia lebbeck Seed Meal
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.67601/njbls.v3i2b.72Keywords:
Albizia lebbeck, Clarias gariepinus, hematology, serum biochemistry, fish feedAbstract
Rising costs and limited supply of conventional soybean meal have intensified interest in alternative plant-based protein sources for aquafeeds yet the physiological safety of Albizia lebbeck seed meal, a locally available legume by-product, has not been systematically evaluated in African catfish. This study therefore evaluated the effect of fermented A. lebbeck seed meal to replace soybean meal at graded levels on the hematological and serum biochemical profile of Clarias gariepinus juveniles. One hundred and fifty juveniles (mean initial weight 15.20 ± 0.85 g) were fed five isonitrogenous (40% crude protein) diets containing fermented A. lebbeck seed meal at 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100% inclusion in a completely randomized design with three replicates for eight weeks. Blood was analysed for haematological and serum biochemical indices and data were subjected to one-way ANOVA with means separated by LSD (P < 0.05). Hematological analysis showed significant differences (P < 0.05) among treatments for haemoglobin, white blood cells, red blood cells, neutrophils, eosinophils and lymphocytes, while packed cell volume did not differ significantly (P > 0.05). The highest haemoglobin (10.00 g/dL) occurred at 75% inclusion, the highest white blood cell count (10.0 × 10⁹/L) at 25% inclusion and the highest red blood cell count (11.40 × 10¹²/L) at 100% inclusion. Biochemical analysis revealed significant differences (P < 0.05) among treatments for total protein, albumin, alanine aminotransferase, globulin, aspartate aminotransferase and glucose with no significant differences in potassium or sodium (P > 0.05). The highest albumin (20.00 g/L) occurred at 0% and 100% inclusion, the highest alanine aminotransferase (27.00 U/L) at 75% inclusion, the highest aspartate aminotransferase (31.00 U/L) at 25% inclusion and the highest glucose (7.10 mmol/L) at 75% inclusion. These findings indicated that fermented A. lebbeck seed meal can fully replace soybean meal in the diets at 75% without adverse hematological or biochemical effects,therefore inclusion at or below 75% is recommended.
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