Isabella Ebi, Rossita Shapawi, Leong-Seng Lim, Annita Seok-Kian Yong, Nurzafirah Mazlan, Muhammad Dawood Shah, Najamuddin Abdul Basri, Abdul Aziz Jaziri
Ensuring a well-balanced diet is paramount for the growth and productivity of farmed fish. The interplay of nutrients, particularly essential vitamins like C and E, is crucial for supporting growth and maintaining health. This study seeks to explore the impact of varying levels of dietary vitamins C and E on the growth performance, survival rates, hematological and biochemical parameters, skeletal abnormalities, and disease resistance of hybrid grouper juveniles against Vibrio harveyi. Six experimental diets were formulated, varying in vitamin C (0, 20, and 250 mg/kg) and vitamin E (0, 50, and 800 mg/kg) contents. After a 14-week feeding trial, results revealed that vitamin C–deficient diets significantly reduced growth performance compared to other treatments. Interestingly, a high level of vitamin C without vitamin E supplementation produced growth effects similar to the control diet. Vitamin C and vitamin E supplementations influenced both hepatic vitamin C and vitamin E concentrations. Surplus supplementation of vitamin C improves immune response and disease resistance of a hybrid grouper. Skeletal abnormalities were influenced by dietary vitamin C levels. Overall, supplementation with both vitamins C and E improved growth and disease resistance in hybrid grouper juveniles. Optimal results were achieved with two specific combinations: 18.3 mg/kg of vitamin C paired with 814.8 mg/kg of vitamin E or 271.8 mg/kg of vitamin C paired with 13.4 mg/kg of vitamin E. © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2025.
Higher Institution Centre of Excellence (HICoE), Borneo Marine Research Institute, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, 88400, Malaysia; Department of Fish Product Technology, Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Science, Universitas Brawijaya, East Java, Malang, Indonesia
