Response of growth performance, antioxidant capacity, and gut microbiota to dietary cholesterol and lecithin in the juvenile Redclaw crayfish, Cherax quadricarinatus

Dietary cholesterol and lecithin are two essential nutrients for the growth and health of crustaceans. A 56-day feeding trial was carried out to evaluate the effects of dietary cholesterol and lecithin on the growth performance, antioxidant capacity, intestinal digestive enzymes, and gut microbiota of the Redclaw crayfish, Cherax quadricarinatus. The crayfish (initial average weight 11.39 ± 0.28 g) were fed with six experimental diets formulated with different contents of cholesterol (0.5% and 1%) and lecithin (1%, 2%, and 3%). No additional cholesterol (0%) and lecithin (0%) were added to the diet of the control group. Crayfish fed the diet with 0.5% cholesterol and 2% lecithin improved growth performance, antioxidant capacity, and intestinal digestive enzyme activities than crayfish fed with other diets. Survival, condition factor, hepatosomatic index, and whole-body proximate composition of crayfish were not significantly affected by different dietary cholesterol and lecithin levels. The Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Actinobacteria dominate the gut microbiota community of C. quadricarinatus. In diets with 0.5% cholesterol and 2% lecithin, there were more positive connections and a more complex network structure, which may reduce the risk of pathogen infection. Overall, the combination of 0.5% cholesterol and 2% lecithin in C. quadricarinatus diets was optimal.