Effect of l-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate supplementation on growth performance, body composition, antioxidative capacity and salinity stress tolerance of juvenile Pacific white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei

An 8-week feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of ascorbic acid (AsA), in the form of l-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate (LAPP) on growth performance, body composition, antioxidative capacity and salinity stress tolerance of juvenile Pacific white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei. Five practical diets (46% crude protein and 7.6% lipid) supplemented with graded levels of AsA (14.64, 48.55, 84.98, 308.36 and 639.27 mg kg−1 diet) were fed to five replicate groups of L. vannamei (mean initial wet weight 0.57 g). No significant differences were found on growth performance among all treatments. However, whole body lipid content significantly decreased with dietary AsA levels increasing. Activities of total antioxidant capacity, glutathione reductase and glutathione peroxidase were significantly affected by dietary AsA levels. Shrimp fed LAPP-free diet had higher malondialdehyde content than those fed the diets supplemented with LAPP. Dietary AsA levels higher than 308.36 mg kg−1 diet increased the survival of shrimps after 1, 2 and 3 h of acute salinity change. Broken-line regression analysis on survival after 3 h of salinity stress and second-degree polynomial regression analysis on glutathione reductase data indicated that the optimal dietary AsA requirement of L. vannamei was estimated to be 306.39, 319.75 mg kg−1 diet respectively.