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¹ Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR), Dhanmondi, Dhaka-1205, Bangladesh.
² Department of Zoology, University of Dhaka, Dhaka-1000, Bangladesh DOI : 10.4194/AFS112 - Feed formulation is important to improve the quality of feed by adding nutritive ingredients. The use of seaweed in fish feed is not usual in our country though these are cultivated in Cox`s Bazar and Saint Martin`s Island for human consumption. This study investigated the effects of seaweed (Hypnea sp.) as supplementation on the meat quality of Nile tilapia. The current study was continued for 3 months using 30 days old more or less similar-sized 30 tilapia fingerlings/aquarium (total of 10 aquariums). Commercial feed was selected based on its easy availability and is frequently used by farmers in rural areas. Collected seaweed was mixed with the formulated feed at four percentages. Finally, five different treatments were applied to the fishes where – T1 (5% seaweed), T2 (10% seaweed), T3 (15% seaweed), T4 (20% seaweed), and T5 (Commercial feed as control) with twoa sets of replications for each. After 3 months of rearing, fish were harvested for proximate composition, minerals, and lipid extraction as well as for the determination of the quantity of different fatty acids in the sample with a trace amount of heavy metals. Heavy metals were detected in tilapia meat at a trace level which is not harmful for human consumption. The findings have a clear indication that a 10% seaweed mixed diet can be considered the optimum amount as supplementary feed for Nile tilapia to improve their nutrient composition. Keywords : Marine algae, Hypnea sp. Omega-3 fatty acids BFRI Mymensingh