Response of newly hatched Octopus bimaculoides fed enriched Artemia salina: Growth performance, ontogeny of the digestive enzyme and tissue amino acid content

Abstract The performance of Octopus bimaculoides juveniles from coastal areas of Baja California (Mexico) and reared in captivity was evaluated using Artemia salina as food source in three different treatments: Artemia enriched with either AlgaMac or Spirulina maxima and without enrichment. After 20 days, significant differences were found among treatments in terms of growth, which was significantly higher for juvenile fed AlgaMac-enriched Artemia , followed by those fed unenriched Artemia . Moreover, far higher growth rates (0.74–0.88 mg day − 1 ) were obtained than those reported for other octopus species of the same size. Digestive enzyme activity during the experimental period (20 days) showed an oscillatory behavior, with a tendency to stabilize after day 15. Trypsin was the most important protease, though lipases and amylases were also present. The whole-body lipid content of the juvenile was apparently influenced by the lipid content in the food. The amino acid profile remained unaffected after juvenile were fed the different treatments; however, differences were found between the initial and final whole-body content of the juvenile, with relatively lower amounts of isoleucine, leucine and tyrosine, and relatively higher amounts of threonine, alanine and glycine after 20 days of feeding. The Artemia amino acid content of phenylalanine, isoleucine, leucine and valine was limited, and growth would likely be further promoted with a more suitable diet. Thus, O. bimaculoides is a promising species for commercial culture, and even though good results were obtained when fed Artemia , a more appropriate food source should be sought to obtain an amino acid profile that will maximize growth.