VISCERAL LIPOSOMATIC INDEX (VLSI) AND TOTAL LIPID LEVELS IN DIFFERENT BODY TISSUES OF PACU (PIARACTUS MESOPOTAMICUS HOLMBERG, 1887)

Abstract

The aim of the present work is to determine the amount of lipid stored in abdominal organs and the levels of total lipid in different body tissues of pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus) and the effects of sex and months (period) of the year. Male and female fish reared in captivity (average body weight 2,387 g and body length 41.88 cm) were caught from ponds in the following months of the year: May, August, November and February. After 24 to 48 hours without food, the fish were killed under anesthesia (MS 222), and liver, white muscle, red muscle and gonads sampIes were collected and frozen for further gravimetric determination of total lipid leveI. Following, visceral lipid was collected and weighed for visceral liposomatic index determination (VLSI %). The statistic media comparison (Tukey test 5%) indicate that VLSI, in pacu, started to increase in November and February, being statically higher than in May and August. In males, VLSI was higher than in females. Total lipid (g.100 g^-1) showed differences between tissues, but not between sexes, being the higher values found in red muscle, in May and August. In the liver, the total lipid leveI was the same in the four months, while white muscle presented higher values in February compared to the other months and liver. Total lipid concentration in testis was higher than that in ovary.