Studies on artificial microbound diets (MB) for larval grass prawn, Penaeus monodon. In：R. Hirano and I. Hanyu (eds.)

Abstract

Microbound diets were studied with the objective of developing an optimum diet for the larvae of grass prawn, Penaeus monodon, and of determining its nutritional requirement. Using the essential formula of K-carrageenan microbound diets that were created for kuruma prawn, P. japonicus, and for swimming crab, Portunus trituberculatus, three kinds of microbound diets (MB-A, MB-B and MB-C) were prepared using the spray drying method. After the practical trials using MB-A, MB-B and MB-C as sole food for rearing P. monodon larvae (zoea I to postlarvae I), their feasibility was proven as the survival rates obtained in all the MB groups were higher than 50%. This result is attributed to their high polar lipid content (over 10%), to the w3-highly unsaturated fatty acids (w3-HUFA), and to the composition of amino acids in the diet, which resembled that of the prawn whole body. The principles taken from this result together with the detailed composition data are believed to be important references in the further development of artificial microbound diets for P. monodon larvae.