International Journal of Aquaculture, 2026, Vol.16, No.3, 196-202 http://www.aquapublisher.com/index.php/ija 196 Research Article Open Access Effects of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Supplementation on Growth Performance and Nutrient Utilization of African Catfish Clarias gariepinus (Burchell, 1822) Abdurrazzaq Ibrahim Abdullahi 1 , Maryam Abdullahi Sanda 1, Tukur Mohammed 2, Abubakar Mohammed Mohammed 3, Yakubu Ibrahim 4, Sani Maiwada 5, Goni Bukar Lawan 6 1 Department of Fisheries, University of Maiduguri, Borno State, Nigeria 2 Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria-Nigeria 3 Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Federal University, Wukari-Nigeria 4 Department of Fisheries Technology, Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi-Nigeria 5 Department of Fisheries Technology, College of Agriculture and Animal Science Mando, Kaduna-Nigeria 6 Department of Agricultural Technology, Federal Polytechnic Monguno-Nigeria Corresponding author: aiabdullahi@unimaid.edu.ng International Journal of Aquaculture, 2026, Vol.16, No.3 doi: 10.5376/ija.2026.16.0016 Received: 15 May, 2026 Accepted: 16 Jun., 2026 Published: 30 Jun., 2026 Copyright © 2026 Abdullahi et al., This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Abdullahi A.I., Sanda M.A., Mohammed T., Mohammed A.M., Ibrahim Y., Maiwada S., and Lawan G.B., 2026, Effects of Saccharomyces cerevisiae supplementation on growth performance and nutrient utilization of African catfish Clarias gariepinus (Burchell, 1822), International Journal of Aquaculture, 16(3): 196-202 (doi: 10.5376/ija.2026.16.0016) Abstract This study evaluated the effects of Saccharomyces cerevisiae on the growth performance and nutrient utilization of Clarias gariepinus fingerlings. Five isoproteinous diets were formulated with Saccharomyces cerevisiae at inclusion levels of 0.0%, 0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5%, and 2.0%, representing one control and four treatment diets. Completely randomized design was employed. One hundred and fifty (150) Clarias gariepinus fingerlings were used for the experiment. Ten fish were randomly assigned to 1 m2 Hapa net. A total of 15 Hapa nets were used in polythene-lined pond of 10 m × 7 m (l×b) and depth of 1.5 m, the five formulated diets were fed to the experimental fish at 5% body weight for a period of 8 weeks. Highest mean weight gain of 68.65±8.49 g was obtained in fish fed 0.5% followed by 54.37±8.49 g obtained in the fish fed 1.5%. The least mean weight gain of 37.66±8.49 g was recorded in fish fed 2.0%. The highest FCR value of 1.51 was recorded in fish fed the 1.5% diet, while the lowest and best FCR value of 0.52 was recorded in fish fed the 0.5% S. cerevisiae diet, no significant difference (P >0.05) was observed in the feed conversion ratio of the fish fed 0% and 1% inclusion level of S. cerevisiae. This study revealed that the fish fed 0.5% Saccharomyces cerevisiae had the best growth performance and nutrient utilization, unveiling the positive effect of Saccharomyces cerevisiae on the culture of Clarias gariepinus. Therefore, dietary supplementation with 0.5% S. cerevisiae may be considered a natural feed additive for improving growth performance and nutrient utilization in C. gariepinus. This study is expected to provide baseline information for the practical use of yeast-based probiotics in African catfish culture. Keywords Saccharomyces cerevisiae; African catfish; Yeast; Natural growth promoter; Clarias gariepinus 1 Introduction African catfish, Clarias gariepinus is of great economic importance to aquaculture in Nigeria because of its high market price, fast growth rate, ability to withstand adverse conditions especially low dissolved oxygen content, ability to practice aquatic and aerial respiration and resistance to parasites and diseases. African catfish production accounts for 85% total aquaculture production in Nigeria (Bolorunduro, 2016). Dietary requirements are among the most important factors influencing the success of fish farming. Over the past three decades, fish nutrition research has expanded to include functional ingredients, feed additives, and probiotics that may improve growth, feed utilization, and fish health. In recent years, the role of probiotics in nutrition and health of certain aquaculture species have been investigated (Ringo et al., 2010). To improve aquaculture, the use of several types of feed additives known as growth promoters are increasingly used by fish farmers to improve growth performance and feed efficiency. These growth promoters enhance fish growth by increasing digestibility, immune stimulation, nutrient assimilation, and supplying essential micro-nutrients in the diet or combining these functions (Anwar, 2018).
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