Effects of faba beans (Vicia faba L.) on the growth, amino and fatty acids compositions, flesh quality and oxidative stability of African catfish, Clarias gariepinus.

Qingqing Li, Qifeng Lu, Huai Zhang, Li Lin, Huohong Lv, Xinyi Li

Abstract read

In one paragraph

Article in Journal of fish biology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Qingqing LiGuangdong Provincial Water Environment and Aquatic Products Security Engineering Technology Research Center, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Aquatic Animal Diseases and Waterfowl Breeding, College of Animal Sciences and Technology, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou, China.

Qifeng LuGuangdong Provincial Water Environment and Aquatic Products Security Engineering Technology Research Center, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Aquatic Animal Diseases and Waterfowl Breeding, College of Animal Sciences and Technology, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou, China.

Huai ZhangGuangdong Provincial Water Environment and Aquatic Products Security Engineering Technology Research Center, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Aquatic Animal Diseases and Waterfowl Breeding, College of Animal Sciences and Technology, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou, China.

Li LinGuangdong Provincial Water Environment and Aquatic Products Security Engineering Technology Research Center, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Aquatic Animal Diseases and Waterfowl Breeding, College of Animal Sciences and Technology, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou, China.

Huohong LvGuangdong Provincial Water Environment and Aquatic Products Security Engineering Technology Research Center, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Aquatic Animal Diseases and Waterfowl Breeding, College of Animal Sciences and Technology, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou, China.

Xinyi LiGuangdong Provincial Water Environment and Aquatic Products Security Engineering Technology Research Center, Guangzhou Key Laboratory of Aquatic Animal Diseases and Waterfowl Breeding, College of Animal Sciences and Technology, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou, China.

Funding

the Guangdong Province Commissioner for Rural Science and Technology in Towns and Village KTP20240129

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The African catfish, Clarias gariepinus, is a commercially vital fish that is cultured worldwide, but it often exhibits low-quality flesh despite high production, which limits its market value. Consequently, there is increasing interest in identifying alternative feed ingredients that can improve flesh quality without severely compromising growth performance. Previous studies have shown that the inclusion of raw faba beans (Vicia faba L.) in the diet can improve muscle quality in species like tilapia and grass carp by increasing muscle crisped, yet information on their effects in C. gariepinus remains limited. This study aimed to assess the impacts of 0% (Diet I, control group), 40% (Diet II), 50% (Diet III), 60% (Diet IV) and 70% (Diet V) dietary faba beans inclusion on growth performance, physiological parameters and muscle quality of C. gariepinus during 90 days of cultivation. Compared to the control group, C. gariepinus fed faba beans-containing diets exhibited lower body weight, body weight gain rate (WGR) and specific growth rate (SGR), accompanied by a significant decline in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity (p < 0.05). Histological analysis revealed that C. gariepinus receiving faba bean-supplemented diets exhibited a higher density of muscle fibres, broader gaps between fibres and reduced fibre diameter compared with the control group. Fish fed 50% and 60% faba bean diets exhibited significantly greater muscle hardness (p < 0.05) at 60 and 90 days. In addition, the total protein content in muscle was significantly lower in the 50% faba bean group, whereas the total lipid content and n-6/n-3 ratio were higher (p < 0.05). In conclusion, whereas high faba bean inclusion levels reduced growth performance and altered physiological parameters, moderate levels (50%-60%) improved muscle texture and enhanced certain amino acid and fatty acid profiles. These results indicate that faba beans can enhance muscle quality in C. gariepinus; however, inclusion levels must be carefully managed because of their adverse effects on growth.

Indexed as

Animal FeedCatfishesDietMeatVicia fabaAmino AcidsAnimalsFatty AcidsMuscle, SkeletalOxidation-ReductionAmino AcidsFatty AcidsClarias gariepinusFaba beanG6PDmuscle fibretexture

Identifiers

PMID41744396

DOI10.1111/jfb.70382

PMCPMC13397278

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.