Plant-Derived Dietary Antioxidants for Mitigating Oxidative Stress in Cultured Fish: Mechanisms, Experimental Evidence, and Practical Limitations

Yuli Andriani, Rusky Intan Pratama — Fri, 30 Oct 2026 11:50:25 +0000

Oxidative stress is an important concern in cultured fish because environmental, nutritional, and physiological challenges can disturb cellular redox regulation and contribute to molecular damage. Plant-derived dietary antioxidants have been investigated as potential feed additives to support antioxidant defenses and improve fish health. This narrative review examines major plant-derived antioxidant compounds and preparations, their proposed mechanisms of action, experimental evidence from finfish feeding trials, and limitations affecting their practical application. Relevant publications were evaluated through a targeted narrative approach, with emphasis on antioxidant enzyme activities, oxidative damage indicators, growth, immune responses, and stress tolerance. Feeding trials have reported changes in superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione-related indicators, and malondialdehyde following supplementation with selected plant-derived compounds and ingredients. However, responses were not uniform across studies. Some treatments reduced lipid peroxidation without increasing antioxidant enzyme activities, whereas others changed enzymatic defenses without significantly affecting malondialdehyde. Improvements in growth or disease-related outcomes were also not consistently associated with reduced oxidative damage. These differences were influenced by ingredient preparation, dietary inclusion level, fish species, and experimental conditions. Practical application is further complicated by variation in ingredient composition, losses of active compounds during feed processing, uncertain bioavailability, and limited information on long-term safety and commercial-scale performance. The available evidence indicates that selected plant-derived dietary antioxidants may support oxidative stress management under specific conditions, but their effectiveness cannot be generalized across ingredients or fish species. Future investigations should integrate ingredient characterization, appropriate dose evaluation, feed-processing stability, and complementary indicators of oxidative damage to establish more reliable recommendations for aquaculture feeds.

The Role of Contract Farming in Improving Agricultural Production and Household Food Security in North Kordofan State, Sudan

Fawzia Abdelhameed Dawood, Mohamed Sheikheldeen Elteama, Maruod E. Maruod — Mon, 09 Nov 2026 11:47:55 +0000

This study aimed to assess the role of contract farming in improving agricultural production and household food security in North Kordofan State, Sudan. The study was conducted in shiaken and Elrahad localities, primary data was collected through structured questionnaire distributed to 138 households selected through cluster random sampling. Descriptive statistics and Household Economy Approach (HEA) were employed to analyze the data and assess household food security. The results revealed that 80.4% of respondents relied on local seeds, while only 19.6% used improved seeds. Furthermore, 55.8% did not apply seed treatment, and 88.4% depended on manual harvesting. Regarding contractual arrangements, 74.6% of respondents reported having no written contracts, while 75.4% expressed dissatisfaction with existing contracts, indicating weaknesses in contractual relationships. Despite these challenges, household food consumption increased from 30.61 kg before contract farming to 51.57 kg afterward, representing an increase of approximately 68.5%. The results showed that food security threshold for household before contract farming was 2,455 kilocalories per person per day,so the person was marginally food insecure and for the households after contract farming was 3,486 kilocalories per person per day so the person was food secured, an increase of approximately 42.0%. In addition, consumption of meat increased from 1.12 kg to 3.87 kg, representing an increase of approximately 245.5%, while milk consumption increased from 1.16 kg to 2.30 kg, an increase of approximately 98.3%. Total household food expenditure increased from SDG 57,900 to SDG 67,300, representing an increase of approximately 16.2%. These findings suggest improvements in household food consumption and dietary quality following participation in contract farming. The study concludes that contract farming has the potential to contribute to household food security; however, improving contractual transparency, expanding access to improved seeds and agricultural inputs, strengthening extension services, and promoting modern farming technologies are essential to maximize its benefits. Further statistical analysis is required to establish the significance of the observed changes and determine the extent to which they can be attributed to contract farming.

GPH-International Journal of Agriculture and Research

Plant-Derived Dietary Antioxidants for Mitigating Oxidative Stress in Cultured Fish: Mechanisms, Experimental Evidence, and Practical Limitations

The Role of Contract Farming in Improving Agricultural Production and Household Food Security in North Kordofan State, Sudan