Effects of source of dietary lipid on the fatty acid composition and cholesterol content of tissues, semen cryopreservation and embryo survival in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

The objectives of this research were to evaluate the effect of source of dietary lipid on the fatty acid composition and cholesterol content (1) of muscle and liver tissue, (2) of sperm and spermatozoal plasma membranes, (3) and its effect on sperm viability after cryopreservation and (4) and its effect on the fatty acid composition of eggs and developing embryos.

One hundred two-year-old rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were fed one of the four treatment diets for 16 months. The diets differed only in the additional source of lipid which comprised 12% of the total diet. Herring oil (adequate n-3 fatty acids), menhaden oil (high in n-3 fatty acids), safflower oil (high in n-6 fatty acids) or tallow (high in saturated fatty acids) were the sources of dietary lipid. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).