Enteric, hepatic and muscle tissue development of juvenile dourado Salminus brasiliensis fed with lyophilized bovine colostrum

Besides being a dietary source of essential nutrients, colostrum contains important biologically active molecules. This study investigated enteric, muscle and hepatic tissue development of juvenile dourado Salminus brasiliensis fed with diets containing 0, 10 or 20 % of lyophilized bovine colostrum (LBC). Juveniles (13.3 ± 0.9 g; 10.8 ± 0.3 cm) were distributed into 18,300-L cages and fed with experimental diets for 30 or 60 days. Insulin-like growth factor type I (IGF-I) serum concentration and total protein (TP), DNA, RNA concentration in the intestine, muscle and liver of fish were assessed. The consumption of diets containing LBC did not influence IGF-I concentration, regardless of the presence of LBC in the diet and tissue IGF-I content was higher at 60 days. Furthermore, the indicators of intestinal and muscular cellular activity were not influenced by LBC consumption. Regardless of this result, between periods, muscle RNA and RNA/DNA was lower at 60 days, while TP/RNA was higher in the same period. Interaction between diet and period influenced concentration of the liver DNA: 0 > 10 > 20 % LBC at 30 days, while 0 = 10 < 20 % LBC at 60 days. Considering the results of the present study, diets consuming S. brasiliensis containing LBC showed proper development of enteric, muscle and hepatic tissue, since no differences were observed in relation to juveniles consuming a diet without colostrum.