Evaluation of the nutritional status of Nymphaea lotus L. and Pistia stratiotes L. shoots in relation to their utilization as fish and animal feed

Evaluation of the nutritional status of Nymphaea lotus L. and
Pistia stratiotes L. shoots in relation to their utilization as fish and
animal feed
Amany Mohamed Haroon
Academy of Scientific Research and Technology, National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries
Cairo- Egypt.
E.mail: [email protected]
Received 8
th January 2010, Accepted 10th March 2010
Abstract
The present work aimed to find a new natural food resource suitable to reduce the cost of commercial feeds,
through evaluating the nutritional potential of two commonly available, aquatic weeds; Pistia stratiotes L and
Nymphaea lotus L from El-Serw irrigation canal, which situated at North Eastern part of the Nile Delta South of
Manzalah Lake. The organic and inorganic contents were estimated, in addition to the phytochemical screening for
some biologically active substances. From the obtained results, N. lotus stem was shown to have the highest values
of the crude and digestible proteins, growth energy, protein to energy, protein to lipid and protein to carbohydrates
ratios. The recovery of amino acids from acid hydrolysis revealed the presence of fifteen amino acids in the three
different samples but with different concentrations. GLC analysis of fatty acids indicate the presence of different
numbers and concentrations of fatty acids, in which linolenic acid (an omega -3 fatty acid) represents the major
constituent of N. lotus stems fatty acids, while N. lotus leaves and P. stratiotes shoots are rich in linoleic acid (an
omega-6 fatty acid). In addition, the chemical analysis of the studied species showed a considerable difference (P < 0.05) in their mineral composition. Besides, total phenolic content ranged between 2.7 and 2.4 % and phytochemical screening revealed the presence of flavonoides, alkaloides, tannins, sterols, chlorides and sulphates in the two species. The present study demonstrates that, the commercial exploitation of these aquatic weeds, particularly N. lotus stem and leaves, as cost-effective and balanced artificial fish and animal feeds appear to be promising. Keywords: Evaluation, nutritional status, Nymphaea lotus L., Pistia stratiotes L, utilization, fish, animal feed.