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Digestibility of chitin in cod,Gadus morhua, in vivo

Helgoländer Meeresuntersuchungen volume 41, pages 425–436 (1987)Cite this article

Abstract

Sixteen cod,Gadus morhua (L.), were individually fed a single ration of shrimps,Crangon allmanni. Four fish were killed and examined 6, 12, 24 and 48 h after the fish had been fed. Chitinase activities were measured in the extracts of stomach contents, stomach tissue, pyloric caecae, intestinal contents and intestinal tissue. The level of enzyme activity in different parts of the digestive tract was shown to be dependent on the phase of the digestive process. High concentrations of the chitin degradation product N-acetyl-D-glucosamine were determined in the stomach and in the intestinal contents. Based on the chitin concentration in the food organisms and the individual food uptake, the amount of chitin consumed by each fish could be calculated. Only up to 9% of the ingested chitin was recovered from the intestinal contents of the fish at any given time after feeding (6, 12, 24 and 48 h). In addition, only 2.4% of the chitin consumed with the food could be recovered in the collected faeces of the fish. The 4 cod killed 48 h after feeding had completely emptied their stomach. Chitin digestion in these fish was calculated to have been 90%.

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  1. Eva Danulat

    Present address: Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, 6270 University Boulevard, V6T 2A9, Vancouver, B. C., Canada

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  1. Institut für Hydrobiologie und Fischereiwissenschaft, Zeiseweg 9, D-2000, Hamburg 50, Federal Republic of Germany

    Eva Danulat

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Danulat, E. Digestibility of chitin in cod,Gadus morhua, in vivo. Helgolander Meeresunters 41, 425–436 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02365402

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Helgoland Marine Research

ISSN: 1438-3888

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