merged

The Effects of Turmeric Curcuma Longa on the Vibrio Load in Adult Brine
Shrimp Artemia
Krishnnappriyaa A/P Gopi
Assoc. Prof Dr Yeong Yik Sung
Bachelor of Science in Agrotechnology (Aquaculture)
School of Fisheries and Aquaculture Sciences
The brine shrimp Artemia are the most widely used life food organisms in aquaculture.
All life stages of Artemia can be used as feed, namely decapsulated cysts, nauplii,
juvenile and adult. Adult Artemia are superior food for ornamental fish, seahorse and
the Penaeid shrimp. But they are often contaminated by various pathogens such as
Vibrios. Methods to produce Vibrio-free Artemia include the application of ozone gas
and antibiotics but they are costly. In this study, the aqueous extract of turmeric, a
medicinal plant known to possess anti-microbial and antioxidant properties, was tested
for its efficacy to reduce vibrio load in adult Artemia. Incubation in 10g/L resulted in
mortality, indicating that turmeric was toxic to Artemia at this concentration and
beyond. Several bacteria other than Vibrio grew on TCBS agar. The number of
bacterial growth (CFU/ml), isolated both from Artemia and the rearing water, did not
reduce upon tumeric exposure, indicating that turmeric was ineffective in attenuating
Vibrio growth during Artemia culture.
557 | UMT UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH DAY 2018