Volume 58 Issue 1 (January 2024) 69 RESEARCH ARTICLE Indian Journal of Animal Research, Volume 58 Issue 1: 69-78 (January 2024) Effect of Jackfruit ( Artocarpus heterophyllus ) Seed Processing on the Diets of Nile Tilapia ( Oreochromis niloticus ): Growth, Antinutrients, and Blood Parameters B.L. Cuevas-Rodríguez 1,2 , O.I. Zavala-Leal 1,2 , M. Ruiz-Velazco 1,2 , E.O. Cuevas-Rodríguez 3 , L. Sánchez-Magaña 3 , F.J. Valdez-González 1,2 10.18805/IJAR.BF-1717 ABSTRACT Background: Jackfruit seeds have been studied in the pharmaceutical industry, one way of exploiting the potential of this ingredient could be as a protein source in the elaboration of fish food. Jackfruit seeds were subjected to different processes to obtain meals to be added to the diet of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). The effects of this addition on growth, elimination of antinutritional factors, and repercussion on the health of tilapia was evaluated. Methods: For the bioassay of the productive yield, three experimental diets were prepared, consisting of a control diet of fishmeal and four treatments: raw jackfruit seeds (RJS), hulled jackfruit seeds (HJS), extruded jackfruit seeds (EJS) and hulled and extruded jackfruit seeds (HEJS). For the growth study, 1600-L experimental units were used. Three replicates per treatment were used, initial weight of tilapias was of 1.8±0.2 g. At the end of the feeding study, a blood sample was taken from the caudal vein, using a hypodermic syringe and EDTA as anticoagulant for the hematology (hemoglobin/hematocrit). Result: Significant differences among treatments using jackfruit seeds, subjected to hulling and extrusion (CEJS) processes, were observed in weight gain (24.3±1.1 g), whereas blood parameters, the red blood cells (RBC) count and the hematocrit (Hct) were significantly higher in the jackfruit seeds subjected to only one treatment (39.8±6.49) respect to the control diet (27.4±3.18). Regarding the MCH and MCHC variables, lower values were observed with the diets using EDJS, showing a significant diminution in the RBC concentration (13.2±2.5) compared to the control diet (19.3±4.65). The processes used for the jackfruit seeds allowed formulating diets with a higher protein quality, which resulted in an increment in weight gain, without observing any effect on the health indicators and nutritional status of fish. Key words: Blood parameters, Growth, Jackfruit seeds, Processing, Tilapia. 1 Escuela Nacional de Ingeniería Pesquera, Universidad Autónoma de Nayarit. Carretera a Los Cocos km. 12, Bahía de Matanchén San Blas, Nayarit, México. 2 Programa de Maestría en Ciencias Biológico Agropecuarias- Universidad Autónoma de Nayarit. Carretera Tepic-Compostela, km 9 C.P. 63780, Xalisco, Nayarit. 3 Facultad de Ciencias Químico Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa, Programa Regional de Posgrado en Biotecnología, Culiacán, Sinaloa, México. Corresponding Author: F.J. Valdez-González, Escuela Nacional de Ingeniería Pesquera, Universidad Autónoma de Nayarit. Carretera a Los Cocos km. 12, Bahía de Matanchén San Blas, Nayarit, México. Email: francisco.valdez@uan.edu.mx How to cite this article: Cuevas-Rodríguez, B.L., Zavala-Leal, O.I., Ruiz-Velazco, M., Cuevas-Rodríguez, E.O., Sánchez-Magaña, L. and Valdez-González, F.J. (2024). Effect of Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus ) Seed Processing on the Diets of Nile Tilapia ( Oreochromis niloticus ): Growth, Antinutrients, and Blood Parameters. Indian Journal of Animal Research. 58(1): 69-78. doi: 10.18805/IJAR.BF-1717. Submitted: 11-10-2023 Accepted: 15-12-2023 Online: 10-01-2024 INTRODUCTION According to FAO, aquaculture is the animal-derived food productive sector experiencing the highest growth (FAO, 2022). In 2018, worldwide aquaculture production reached a historical record of 114,5 million tons, equivalent to 263,600 million US-dollars (FAO, 2020). Fish farming is the most important activity in many countries, providing almost half of all the fish destined to human consumption as a protein source (Deng et al., 2015). Tilapia is a freshwater fish cultivated in many tropical and subtropical countries because of its fast growth, meat quality, tolerance to a wide range of environmental conditions and acceptance of artificial foods immediately after the absorption of the vitelline sac (El- Sayed, 2019). The Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) is of high value, placed as one of the most important aquaculture products worldwide and it is the second species of the highest productive interest in tropical aquaculture (Deng et al., 2015). Different physiological attributes have allowed for the success of this species; they are organisms that tolerate a variety of environmental conditions and can adapt to wide salinity ranges, standing out their resistance, feeding habits and adaptation to diverse conditions in captivity (Van Doan et al., 2019; Magouz et al., 2020). They present high survival indices, fast growth and their filets are of high protein quality for human consumption (Khalifa et al., 2016). However, as