Effects of Tryptophan Addition to Green Mussel (Perna viridis) on Cannibalism and Physiological Responses in Lobster (Panulirus homarus)

Syafi, Muhamad Sabar and Herawati, Vivi Endar and Sabdaningsih, Aninditia and Hastuti, Sri and Purnomo, Pujiono W. and Rivaie, Arief Rahman and Yulia, Meci Desi and Baragama, Yos (2026) Effects of Tryptophan Addition to Green Mussel (Perna viridis) on Cannibalism and Physiological Responses in Lobster (Panulirus homarus). World's Veterinary Journal. 324 - 336. ISSN 23224568

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Abstract

The increasing demand for sand lobsters requires higher aquaculture productivity. However, sand lobster production is still constrained by high mortality due to cannibalism, a behavior in which individuals attack and consume conspecifics. One approach to suppress cannibalism is through supplementation of the amino acid tryptophan as a precursor to serotonin, which plays a role in regulating stress and aggressiveness. The present study aimed to determine the effectiveness and optimal formulation of tryptophan in green mussel feed on cannibalism, survival, and growth rate in sand lobsters. The study used a completely randomized design with four treatments and five replications. The treatments consisted of adding tryptophan to green mussels used as feed, including a control without tryptophan (K0), and supplementation at doses of 5 g/kg (T1), 10 g/kg (T2), and 15 g/kg (T3). Observed parameters included physiological responses, cannibalism levels, and growth. The results revealed that T3 treatment was most effective in increasing serotonin levels (89.45 ± 3.069 ng/mL) and survival rate (55.29 ± 5.26 ), and reducing cannibalism (7.06 ± 2.63 ), which caused lower glucose (14.19 ± 3.206 mg/dL) and total hemocyte count (81.00 ± 4.243 cell/mL) levels. However, the highest dose (T3; 15 g/kg) was less effective in enhancing growth performance, indicating that this level of supplementation was not optimal compared to the lower doses. In contrast, T1 (5 g/kg) resulted in relatively higher growth performance compared to the other treatments, as indicated by moulting frequency (1.40 ± 0.23), carapace length (1.25 ± 0.15 cm), length increase (1.70 ± 0.12 cm), absolute weight (1.14 ± 0.35 g), specific growth rate (3.13 ± 0.46 /day), feed conversion ratio (5.04 ± 0.93), and protein efficiency ratio (1.42 ± 0.18). However, in T1 (5 g/kg), serotonin (70.66 ± 4.165 ng/mL), survival rate (42.35 ± 4.92), cannibalism (38.82 ± 3.22), glucose (16.26 ± 3.352 mg/dL), and total hemocyte count (110.50 ± 9.192 cell/mL) were not as optimal as those observed in T3. Tryptophan supplementation revealed potential to enhance physiological condition, survival, and growth under the experimental conditions. © The Author(s) 2026. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

Item Type:	Article
Keywords:	Cannibalism; Growth; Lobster; Physiological; Tryptophan
Subjects:	S Agriculture > SF Animal culture
Divisions:	World's Veterinary Journal (WVJ)
Page Range:	324 - 336
Journal or Publication Title:	World's Veterinary Journal
Journal Index:	Scopus
Volume:	16
Number:	2
Publisher:	Scienceline Publication
Identification Number:	https://doi.org/10.54203/scil.2026.wvj31
ISSN:	23224568
Depositing User:	Dr. Alireza Sadeghi
URI:	https://eprints.science-line.com/id/eprint/1722

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