Effects of dietary astaxanthin supplementation on juvenile kuruma shrimp, Marsupenaeus japonicus

This study evaluated the effects of chemically synthesized astaxanthin (Ax) on growth performance, survival, stress resistance, immune responses, fatty acid contents, and pigmentation of juvenile kuruma shrimp (Marsupenaeus japonicus). Six dietary levels of Ax (0, 200, 400, 800, 1200, and 1600 mg kg−1 diet) were added to a baseline diet. The feeding trial was conducted for 56 days. The results showed that juveniles fed diets supplemented with Ax exhibited better growth performance, final body weight (FBW), body weight gain (BWG), and specific growth rate (SGR) than the control group, with the best performance exhibited by in the 400 mg kg−1 diet Ax supplemented group (P < 0.05). Following fresh water-osmotic stress test, the 200, 400, and 800 mg kg−1 diet…