Evaluation of dietary supplementation with cinnamon products on growth, blood composition, liver structure, and meat quality of striped catfish (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus)

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of dietary supplementation with cinnamon products on the growth, meat quality, liver structure, and blood composition of striped catfish. All diets were developed using intact protein and formulated to have similar protein (25.5–25.7%) and lipid (7.3–7.9%) contents. The control diet was formulated without cinnamon products (C), while dietary treatments were formulated by adding 1% cinnamon powder (CM), 0.1% cinnamon extract (CE), and 0.1% cinnamaldehyde (CN). Each treatment contained four replications. Striped catfish (n=25, average size of 11.97±0.55 g) were stocked in 2 × 1 × 1.5 m3 cages on 20 × 10 m2 pond and fed until apparent satiation twice a day for 72 days. The results demonstrated the differences among CM, CE, and CN diets compared to C diet based on protein retention (27.77% vs 32.62, 34.39, 34.96%, respectively), lipid retention (71.10% vs 60.96, 52.83, 52.93%, respectively), meat hardness (197.07 gf vs 278.37, 283.87, 248.27 gf), lightness (48.37 vs 52.73, 49.93, 48.62, respectively), muscle lipid (7.74% vs 2.61, 2.72, 3.80%, respectively), muscle protein (13.17% vs 18.75, 18.66, 16.35%, respectively), malondialdehyde (0.13 μmol/L vs 0.07, 0.06, 0.06 μmol/L, respectively), and superoxide dismutase enzyme (3.52 U/g protein vs 7.70, 8.71, 7.92 U/g protein, respectively). The CM, CE, and CN diets also improved the fish liver tissue followed by decreased low-density lipoprotein level in blood plasma (1226.27 mg/dL vs 839.77, 811.52, 849.40 mg/dL, respectively). Therefore, cinnamon products can improve the growth, meat quality, liver structure, and blood composition of striped catfish.