Abstract
The African catfish, Clarias gariepinus , is a commercially vital fish that is cultured worldwide, but it often exhibits low‐quality flesh despite high production, which limits its market value. Consequently, there is increasing interest in identifying alternative feed ingredients that can improve flesh quality without severely compromising growth performance. Previous studies have shown that the inclusion of raw faba beans ( Vicia faba L.) in the diet can improve muscle quality in species like tilapia and grass carp by increasing muscle crisped, yet information on their effects in C. gariepinus remains limited. This study aimed to assess the impacts of 0% (Diet I, control group), 40% (Diet II), 50% (Diet III), 60% (Diet IV) and 70% (Diet V) dietary faba beans inclusion on growth performance, physiological parameters and muscle quality of C. gariepinus during 90 days of cultivation. Compared to the control group, C. gariepinus fed faba beans‐containing diets exhibited lower body weight, body weight gain rate (WGR) and specific growth rate (SGR), accompanied by a significant decline in glucose‐6‐phosphate dehydrogenase activity ( p C. gariepinus receiving faba bean‐supplemented diets exhibited a higher density of muscle fibres, broader gaps between fibres and reduced fibre diameter compared with the control group. Fish fed 50% and 60% faba bean diets exhibited significantly greater muscle hardness ( p p C. gariepinus ; however, inclusion levels must be carefully managed because of their adverse effects on growth.