Media Peternakan (Aug 2004)
Pengaruh Tepung Cangkang Rajungan (Portunus pelagicus) dalam Ransum terhadap Kadar Kolesterol Serum dan Pertambahan Bobot Badan Tikus Putih (Rattus norvegicus)
Abstract
Crab shells contain the highest percentage of chitin. Chitin and its derivatives have many properties that make them attractive for a wide variety of applications. This study was conducted to determine the effect of crab (Portunus pelagicus) shells as a source of chitin in ration on serum cholesterol and weight gain of rats (Rattus norvegicus). The study was carried out in a factorial experiment 2 x 5 with 3 replications. The first factor is sex and the second factor is crab shells of 5 levels i.e., 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20% in ration. The study showed that there were no interaction effect between sex and crab shells levels in diet on all parameters. Serum cholesterol levels decreased (P > 0.05) and weigh gain increased (P < 0.01) when crab shells were included in the diets. The highest reduction of serum cholesterol level (14,8%) was observed at crab shells level of 10%, but the highest weight gain was reached at 5% inclusion of crab shells. These results suggest that crab shells in rat diets reduced serum cholesterol level and increased weight gain.