Abstract
The application of low-cost feed additives as an immunostimulant for different species of fish is an emerging research area in aquaculture. The present study aimed at incorporating a byproduct from coffee processing, coffee silverskin, as an immunostimulant in Nile Tilapia. A total of 225 Tilapia fingerlings (each weighing 23.04±0.07) were fed on diets as follows: Diet 1 (control), Diet 2 (20 gm/kg), Diet 3 (40 gm/kg), Diet 4 (80 gm/kg) and Diet 5 (180 gm/kg) of coffee silverskin. The feeding experiment continued for four weeks; moreover, growth, as well as immunological studies, were carried out by collecting mucus and blood serum from the liver and intestine of the fish. A significant increase in growth performance was observed in fish fed with a 40 gm/kg coffee silverskin-containing diet. The same effect was found in immunological parameters, including complement activity, serum lysozyme activity, and respiratory burst activity. Therefore, it is concluded that the study was definitely a successful one, and a diet with 40 gm/kg of coffee silverskin (Diet 3) was effective, compared to the rest of the compositions.