Nile Tilapia are rapidly growing as one of the most popular commercially farmed fish in the world due to their relatively quick growth cycles and easier production than most fish. However, farmed raised fish often get labeled as a lower quality of food than wild caught fish because it is a widely accepted belief that meat from stressed animals is of lower quality in texture, taste, and nutritional value. By the year 2050, the global population is estimated to surpass the 10 billion mark, and the need for a sustainable source of food will be even more prevalent in 2050 than the struggles seen in the COVID-19 era (2020-2022). The aim of this investigation is to measure the impact of acute and chronic effects of L-Theanine on the stress and immune response of Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) raised in a closed loop aquaponics system where the only variable altered is the feed consumed by the tilapia. The tilapia will be divided into five groups - Control (Cortisol feed), Negative Control (normal feed), Treated Negative Control (normal feed and L-Theanine), Preventative (normal feed and L-Theanine with cortisol feed), and Treatment (Cortisol feed and L-Theanine). In Nile Tilapia, stress levels can be gauged by various physiological parameters such as blood glucose levels, packed cell volume percentage (PCV%), phagocytic activity, and spleen size. Several physiological and immunological parameters will be compared with the control. Our results have not yet been collected. Detailed information will be presented at the conference during the presentation.
Keywords: L-Theanine, Nile Tilapia, stress, aquaculture, aquaponics