DIGESTION RATE ON FISH

Name : Iftinan Nurjihan Zuhry

Student ID : B1B017028
Entourage : VI
Group :4
Assistant : Anisa Istiqomah

PRACTICAL REPORT OF ANIMAL PHYSIOLOGY II

MINISTRY OF RESEARCH, TECHNOLOGY AND HIGHER EDUCATION

JENDERAL SOEDIRMAN UNIVERSITY
FACULTY OF BIOLOGY
PURWOKERTO
2019
 I. INTRODUCTION

A. Background

Digestion is a process of reforming food from complex molecules into simple

molecules, in forms such as glucose, fatty acids, and glycerol and other nutrients
and is beneficial to the body of the fish. The speed of breaking down food from the
fish body from large molecules to small molecules that will be absorbed by the
fish's body is called the digestion rate. While the substances needed and which will
be absorbed by fish through blood will also be circulated throughout the body for
metabolic purposes (Murtidjo, 2001).
Digestion rate is the rate of speed of breaking down food in the body from
complex molecules to simpler molecules, which will then be absorbed by the body.
The process of digestion that occurs in the gastric can be measured by knowing the
rate of gastric emptying. Gastric is an organ of an animal that plays a role in the
digestive process, filtering food that enters the body, neutralizing toxins in food,
and removing substances that are not useful to the body (Elliot & Elliot, 1997).
Measuring the rate of digestion in fish can be done by measuring the density
of food in the gastric (gastric weight). Temperature, food particle size, and
experimental method greatly influence the measurement of gastric weight.
Increasing water temperature will increase the rate of fish digestion in certain
species (Wurtsbaugh, 1993).

B. Purpose

The objectives of this laboratory activity is to see the digestion rate or gastric
emptying rate on fish.
 II. MATERIAL AND METHODS

A. Material

The materials that used in this practice are pellets and catfish (Clarias
gariepinus).
The tools that used in this practice are specimen tray, analytical scale,
dissection kit and aquarium.

B. Methods

1. Aquarium was prepared, filled with water as high as 25 cm, and was given the
aeration.
2. The fish was dispersed in the aquarium.
3. The pellet was given to the fish as much as 2.5% of the total weight of the body,
and the fish was left to consume the food for 15 minutes.
4. The total body weight of fish was measured.
5. The fish was dissected, and the gastric was taken and weighed as 0 minutes after
feeding (Bx)
6. Step 4 and 5 was repeated for 30 minutes (By) and 60 minutes (Bz).
7. The graph was made.

III. RESULT AND DISCUSSION

A. Result

Tabel 3.1 The Result of Observation of Gastric Emptying Rate Entourage VI

X (0’) Y (30’) Z (60’)
Group
Bx (gr) Bx (%) By (gr) By (%) Bz (gr) Bz (%)
1 1,12 1,23 0,78 0,82 0,99 0,89
2 1,27 1,3 1,25 1,14 0,92 1,01
3 1,19 1,15 1,12 1,19 1,03 0,91
4 0,92 1,02 1,29 1,17 0,95 0,76

Calculation of Group 4
𝐵𝑥
a) Bx % = 𝐵𝑥𝑡 × 100%
0,92
× 100%
90

= 1,02%
𝐵𝑦
b) By % = 𝐵𝑦𝑡 × 100%
1,29
× 100%
110

= 1,17%
𝐵𝑧
c) Bz % = 𝐵𝑧𝑡 × 100%
0,95
× 100%
125

= 0,76%

1.9
Gastric Emptying of Fish (%)

1.7

1.5

1.3

1.1

0.9

0.7

0.5
0' 30' 60'
Observation Time (minutes)

Group I Group II Group III Group IV

 Figure 3.1 Graphic of Gastric Emptying Rate Entourage VI

B. Discussion

The rate of digestion can be called the process of emptying the gastric. The
process of fish digestion starts from the gastric (in fish that have gastric) and
continues in the intestine which will end up in the exhaust hole of the remaining
material. The process of digestion starts from food into the mouth, digests
mechanically and is assisted by salivary glands and then enters the pharynx,
esophagus, and is accommodated in the gastric to be digested chemically with the
help of digestive enzymes. Foods that have become small molecules then enter the
intestine to process the absorption or absorption of the rest into the rectum and the
anus to be removed. The results of digestion in the form of amino acids, fatty acids
and monosaccharides will be absorbed by the epithelial intestine then circulated
throughout the body by the circulatory system. The process of digestion in fish also
has to do with inhibition by the availability of legal restrictions, meaning that the
source for digestion must always be properly guarded so that the fish conditions
both internally and externally (Gumisiriza., 2009).
Factors that influence the rate of digestion in fish include internal and external
factors. Internal factors include age, body size, activity, stress, and gender. External
factors include turbidity (on visibility and O2 content), food, and chemical factors
in the waters (O2, CO2, H2S, pH, and alkalinity). Usually the more fish activity, the
more energy will be needed so that the metabolic process is high and requires foods
that are of a much better and more abundant quality (Kay, 1998). Digestion rates
are also influenced by digestive enzymes. This enzyme serves as a catalyst for
biological chemical reactions in the digestion of fish, these enzymes are secreted in
the digestive cavity from gastric mucous cells, their piloric, pancreas and intestinal
mucosa (Halver & Hardy 2002). The use of feed is related to the very close
osmoregulation process of fish, where the level of feed consumption will decrease
in conditions of hypoosmotic and hyperosmotic media (Kursistiyanto, 2013).
Enzyme activity has their own levels on the correlation with digestion rate. It may
correlates but it also may not. For example starch and lipid is correlated with the
digestion rate, while protein may not correlate (Pluschke et al., 2018). The intestinal
digestive will work out with the help of an optimal feeding rate. Protease and lipase
are one of the important digestive enzymes (Xu et al., 2015).
Digestion rates generally correlated with the metabolic rate of fish. The longer
the time, the gastric content (BLR) decreases so that the body weight of the fish
decreases. Gastric emptying rate is also affected by the food consumed by fish. If
digested fish feed comes from vegetable fish feed, then the rate of emptying fish
will depend on how much the fish eats feed from plants, because those foods
containing extracts from plants contain cell walls containing cellulose so that the
fish will be difficult to digest, whereas in fish feed derived from animal fish feed
the digestive process will be easy (Lagler, 1977).
The digestive system of catfish consists of the mouth, gastric, intestine, and is
released through the urogenitalis porus. The intestine of catfish is long because it is
an omnivorous fish. According to Storer & Usinger (1961), the digestive system of
fish consists of jaws, fish have many small cone-shaped teeth to chew food, and a
small tongue inside at the base of the oral cavity that helps respiration movements.
 The pharynx next to the side has gills and the side of the short esophagus that
follows until the gastric or gastrum arises. Pyloric value is separated from the back
of intestine. Three tubular pyloric caeca which function to absorb, take to intestine.
Three large hearts in the body cavity with the gallbladder and the intestine and
pancreatic ducts are not clearly removed through the urogenitalis porus.
Based on the data from our group observations, the fish weight percentage in
0 minutes was 1.02%, in 30 minutes which was 1.17%, and 0.76% for gastric weight
in 60 minutes after feeding 2.5% of biomass. This is not in accordance with the
reference according to Yuwono (2001), that stated the longer the measurement time
after getting feed, the smaller the weight of the gastric. This is because many large
molecules have been digitized into smaller molecules and have been absorbed a lot
by the intestine. This can caused by several factors such as body weight and the
temperature. According to Lestari & Dewantoro (2018), temperature has own effect
for digestion rate. This is because when the temperature gets optimum it will push
the digestive enzyme and metabolism to work effectively. If the digestive enzymes
activity increase, the digestion rate will also increase, so the gastric emptying rate
will be high. High gastric emptying rate will cause fish to feel hungry faster and
their appetite will also increase.

IV. CONCLUSION

Based on the results it can be concluded that the gastric emptying rate of group
4 is 1.02% after 0 minute, 1.17% after 30 minutes, and 0,76% after 60 minutes being
fed by 2.5% of biomass.
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