Qi Liu¹, Takeshi Naganuma^1,

Lactic acid and betaine have shown promising effects on growth in various animals, yet their impact on the growth performance and metabolomics of sturgeon remains underexplored. Using blood samples, this study investigates how these additives influence growth and metabolomics in juvenile bester sturgeon. Initially, lactic acid alone significantly enhanced growth during the first 100 days, but by Day 169, growth rates in the experimental group lagged behind those in the control group. After 258 days of feeding with 5% lactic acid and betaine, growth rates in both groups converged. However, by Day 377, sturgeons fed with 5% betaine exhibited notably poorer growth compared to the control, while those given lactic acid showed improved performance over time. Importantly, both additives induced distinct metabolic shifts, particularly in amino acids and fatty acyls, with lactic acid primarily up-regulating 71 metabolites, accounting for 87.65% of the total number of differential metabolites, and betaine leading to down-regulation of 83 metabolites, accounting for 93.26% of the total number of differential metabolites. Changes in amino acid and fatty acyl metabolites will have an important impact on the flavor and quality of sturgeon. This study highlights the nuanced role of lactic acid and betaine in sturgeon growth and metabolism, offering new insights into their potential as feed additives.

metabolome, targeted metabolomics, metabolism, growth, hybrid sturgeon