Comparison of time-restricted and ad libitum self-feeding on the growth,feeding behavior and daily digestive enzyme profiles of Atlantic salmon

Although it has been hypothesized that a predictable feeding regime in animals allows physiological variables to be adjusted to maximize nutrient utilization and,hence,better growth performance,the assumption has rarely been tested.This study compares the effects of time-restricted versus free access self-feeding on the growth,feeding behavior and daily digestive enzyme rhythms of Atlantic salmon(Salmo salar).In an experiment that lasted 6 weeks,fish(109.9 g) were divided into two groups:group 1 had free access to a self-feeder(FA);group 2 received three meals per day(2 h per meal) at dawn,midday and dusk via a time-restricted self-feeder(TR).At the end of the experiment,the fish were sampled every 3 h over a24-h period.The results showed that the TR fish quickly synchronized their feeding behavior to the feeding window and their blood glucose showed a significant postprandial increase,while FA fish displayed no statistically significant rhythms(P0.05).Pepsin activity of TR fish also showed a significant daily rhythm(P0.05) with the acrophase at the second feed and a decrease over the next 12 h.Average daily trypsin,lipase and amylase levels of FA fish were significantly lower than those of TR fish(P0.01);however,the growth performance of both groups was similar(P0.05).In conclusion,the study failed to confirm a link between the entrainment of daily digestive enzyme profiles and growth performance,with the TR group showing comparatively poor blood glucose regulation.