Dietary vitamin C supplementation modulates gene expression and selected meat quality traits in juvenile Pacific white shrimp

Abstract

Vitamin C plays important roles in antioxidant defense and connective tissue metabolism in crustaceans, but its effects on molecular responses associated with shrimp meat quality remain unclear. This study evaluated dietary vitamin C supplementation on growth performance, physicochemical and sensory traits, and gene expression in juvenile Penaeus vannamei Boone, 1931. A total of 288 shrimp were randomly distributed among 24 experimental boxes (12 shrimp per box), with 12 experimental units per dietary treatment, for 15 days. The conventional diet contained 150 mg kg⁻¹ vitamin C according to the manufacturer, whereas the supplemented diet received 150 mg kg⁻¹ of a product containing 35% vitamin C, corresponding to a nominal addition of 52.5 mg kg⁻¹ vitamin C. Final dietary vitamin C concentrations were not analytically determined. Dietary treatment did not affect final weight, length, fillet yield, or biomass. Supplemented shrimp showed lower thawing and cooking losses and higher sensory scores for taste, consistency, and overall liking. Supplementation was also associated with higher transcript abundance of GPx, SOD, SREBP, ACC, MYCH5, COL1A2, and RYR. These findings indicate that vitamin C supplementation modulated selected molecular and meat-quality responses without affecting growth performance under the conditions evaluated.