NUTRITIONAL-VALUE OF PRESERVED MICROALGAE FOR SUBADULT MYTILUS-GALLOPROVINCIALIS

Subadult (4-5 cm) Mytilus galloprovincialis were fed for 31 d with equ al daily rations, equivalent to 6% of their body weight on a dry weigh t basis, of Chaetoceros sp. and Phaeodactylum tricornutum fresh, or pr eserved by air-drying, freeze-drying, and by freezing. At the end, inc reases in size, in dry weight, and in condition index with preserved d iets were significantly lower than those of the mussels fed with live algae. In general, the frozen diets were better than the air- and free ze-dried ones. Increases with live Chaetoceros sp. were greater than w ith live P. tricornutum: however, with preserved diets the latter was better than Chaetoceros sp.