Dietary chlorogenic acid supplementation enhanced the growth performance and muscle quality of Procambarus clarkii

Chlorogenic acid (CGA) is a natural polyphenolic compound with antioxidant activity. We hypothesised that dietary CGA supplementation could improve the growth performance and selected muscle-related traits of Procambarus clarkii , possibly in association with changes in antioxidant-related indices and the expression of selected genes. To test this hypothesis, a 6-week feeding trial was conducted using five diets containing 0, 200, 400, 600, and 800 mg/kg CGA. Dietary supplementation with 400–600 mg/kg CGA improved growth performance and feed conversion ratio, and was associated with higher collagen-related indices, better texture in some parameters, lower freezing loss, and higher amino acid contents in some treatment groups. CGA supplementation was also associated with higher antioxidant enzyme activities, lower reactive oxygen species and malondialdehyde levels, and changes in the expression of genes related to antioxidant defence and muscle development. Overall, these results suggest that dietary CGA supplementation, particularly at 400–600 mg/kg, may improve growth performance and selected muscle-related traits of P. clarkii under the present experimental conditions. These findings support further evaluation of CGA as a dietary supplement in P. clarkii .