Mulberry leaves will make fish healthy

The Shivaji University (SU) zoology department has developed a fish food from mulberry leaves to better the immune system of this aquatic creature.

The department plans to involve farmers and women self-help groups (SHGs) in future.

Associate professor Madhav Bhilave and the students’ team of Sayara Nadaf, Sukhda Bhosale and Vaishali Nalawde have developed the food in three months, under the guidance of the department head, GP Bhavane.

Speaking to DNA, Bhilave said, “This food is useful for herbivorous and freshwater fishes.”

In addition to hard mulberry leaves, milk powder, pepper, corn flower, egg white, turmeric, cumin, vitamin B and E, cod liver oil, garlic and agar powder are the other constituents of the fish food.

“The mulberry leaves contain protein, water, sugar and soluble carbohydrates,” he said. Laboratory trials show the food helps in improving the immune system of fishes. “A strong immune system is important in fish farming as fishes succumb to various diseases in their earlier life stages,” he said.

A distinctive feature of the food is that it does not dissolve in water easily, thereby making it available to fishes for long time without polluting water.

The new find can generate new business avenues to silk farmers.

“While sericulture requires tender mulberry leaves, this fish food needs hard leaves which go waste in sericulture,” Bhilave said.

“One kilogram food costs around Rs400 and its preparation does not require any complicated technology. As this is a profitable business enterprise, we are ready to extend the technology to farmers and women SHGs,” he said.