Effect of Beta vulgaris L. as feed ingredient on muscle growth, nutritional factors, and quality of common carp, Cyprinus carpio

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the utilization of Beta vulgaris powder as feed ingredient in the diet of Cyprinus carpio for a period of 56 days. Common carp fry with an average weight of 20 ± 0.2 g were fed using the diet containing B. vulgaris leaves with different concentrations. Fry of Cyprinus carpio were equally distributed in four feeding groups having three replicates each. The study was conducted indoors, in FRP tanks, and aeration was provided to individual rearing units, and it was a flow‐through system. The basal diet was replaced at 0.5%, 1%, and 2% with B. vulgaris powder. The basal diet without B. vulgaris powder (0%) served as control (T1). Significantly higher feed conversion ratio, protein efficiency ratio, and fat and protein indices were recorded in fish fed with B. vulgaris powder in treatments. Different feeding groups showed greater acceptability of B. vulgaris powder mixed diet without any adverse behavioral response. The protein and fat average percentages were 43.32 and 10.79 g, when fish reached commercial weight (48.02, 11.85 g) after 56 days for treatment 2%. After fish feeding with the B. vulgaris, for treatment 2% lower moisture than the control was recorded. The carp fish diet containing 1% B. vulgaris leaf powder caused a significant decrease in the fish fat content. It can be concluded that the diet containing 2% B. vulgaris leaf powder in the common carp led to better growth performance. The presence of B. vulgaris leaves in the fish diet increased the fillet protein and ash content.