Improving Yellow Mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) Utilization with Sodium Butyrate in Nile Tilapia Diets: Effects on Growth Performance, Intestinal Histology, Antioxidative Response, and Blood Biomarkers

Table 4

Hematological indices of Nile tilapia fed test diets for 60 days.

	Hb (g/100 mL)	RBCs (×10^6/mm^3)	PCV (%)	MCV (µm^3/cell)	MCH (pg/cell)	MCHC (%)	WBCs (×10^3/mm^3)	Heterophils (%)	Lym (%)	Mon (%)	Eosinophils (%)	Basophil (%)
Fish meal	11.33^b	3.56^b	37.33^b	106.69	32.18	30.34	9.96	16.33	73.00	9.00	0.67	1.00
Fish meal + SB	12.40^a	3.93^b	42.00^a	108.51	31.90	29.52	10.63	13.33	76.67	8.00	1.00	1.00
T. molitor	10.73^c	4.07^ab	39.00^b	95.86	26.41	27.54	9.78	14.33	76.33	7.67	1.00	0.67
T. molitor + SB	12.60^a	4.13^a	40.67^b	98.40	30.52	31.01	10.77	11.00	79.67	8.33	0.67	0.33
Pooled SE	0.28	0.13	0.66	3.40	0.97	0.51	0.17	1.36	1.34	0.35	0.17	0.13
Main effect
Protein source
Fish meal	11.87	3.75	39.67	107.60	32.04	29.93	10.30	14.83	74.83	8.50	0.83	1.00
T. molitor	11.67	4.10	39.83	97.13	28.46	29.28	10.28	12.67	78.00	8.00	0.83	0.50
Sodium butyrate (SB)
─SB	11.03	3.82	38.17	101.27	29.30	28.94	9.87	15.33	74.67	8.33	0.83	0.83
+SB	12.50	4.03	41.33	103.45	31.21	30.27	10.70	12.17	78.17	8.17	0.83	0.67
Two-way ANOVA (P-value)
Protein source	0.607	0.195	0.864	0.175	0.053	0.422	0.940	0.474	0.268	0.521	1.000	0.067
SB	0.004	0.422	0.010	0.764	0.259	0.124	0.018	0.305	0.225	0.829	1.000	0.500
Protein source × SB	0.007	0.018	0.015	0.960	0.202	0.124	0.584	0.955	0.952	0.296	0.397	0.500

Values are an average of three replicates. Different letters indicate significant differences () between dietary protein sources (fish meal or T. molitor meal) and sodium butyrate by Tukey’s test when significant interactions are seen at (). However, in case of nonsignificant interactions at () between the main effects between dietary protein sources (fish meal or T. molitor meal) or sodium butyrate, respectively by t-test at (). Hb: hemoglobin concentration, RBC: red blood cell, PCV: packed cell volume, MCV: mean corpuscular volume, MCH: mean corpuscular hemoglobin, MCHC: mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, WBC: white blood cell, Lym: lymphocytes, Mon: monocytes.