Investigation of the Fermentation Process of <i>Moringa oleifera</i> Leaves and Its Effects on the Growth Performance, Antioxidant Capacity, and Intestinal Microbiome of <i>Procambarus clarkii</i>

Abstract

Moringa oleifera is renowned for its high antioxidant activity. However, few studies have been conducted on its effects on aquatic animals. The aim of this experiment was to investigate the optimal fermentation process of M. oleifera leaves and to evaluate the effects of fermented M. oleifera leaves on crayfish (9.11 ± 0.3 g) in terms of growth performance, antioxidant capacity, and gut microbiological parameters. By optimizing the fermenting material/water ratio, fermentation time, temperature, and strain, the optimal fermentation conditions of a 10% water ratio + 48 h + 30 °C + inoculation with 2% B. amyloliquefaciens (107 CFU mL−1) were obtained. These conditions resulted in notable increases in the contents of the total protein, total phenols, flavonoids, and amino acids (p M. oleifera leaves (p M. oleifera (FMO) leaves were incorporated at five concentrations, including 0% (control (CT)), 0.25% (0.25FMO), 0.5% (0.5FMO), 1% (1FMO), and 2% (2FMO). The results showed that the 1FMO group performed better in terms of the final body weight (FBW), weight gain rate (WGR), and specific weight gain rate (SGR) compared with the CT group (p p M. oleifera leaves significantly increased the catalase (CAT) activity in the crayfish (p p Aeromonas (p M. oleifera and obtained a product with high nutrient and low tannin contents. Furthermore, the incorporation of 1% FMO was demonstrated to facilitate growth, enhance the antioxidant capacity, and optimize the gut microbiology in crayfish.

Keywords

• fermentation process
• growth performance
• antioxidant capacity
• intestinal microbiome
• <i>M. oleifera</i>
• crayfish