Apparent digestibility coefficients of several protein sources,and replacement of fishmeal by porcine meal in diets of Japanese seabass,Lateolabrax japonicus,are affected by dietary protein levels

A digestibility and a growth trial were conducted in this study respectively. Firstly, the apparent digestibility coefficients (ADC) of nutrients and energy in meat and bone meal, porcine meal (PM), hydrolysed feather meal, poultry by‐products meal, fishmeal (FM), soybean meal and spray‐dried blood meal were determined. In experiment 2, an 8‐week growth trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of the substitution of FM by PM under the digestible ideal protein concept at two protein levels in the diets of Japanese seabass, Lateolabrax japonicus. A FM‐based control diet (FM diet; FM: 320 g kg^?1, crude protein: 434.9 g kg^?1, crude lipid: 124.6 g kg^?1) and three other diets were formulated to contain 115 g kg^?1 PM and only 160 g kg^?1 FM. Two diets were formulated on a crude protein basis without (PM diet) or with (PMA diet) essential amino acid (EAA) supplementation respectively. A low‐protein diet was designed (LPMA diet, crude protein: 400.9 g kg^?1, crude lipid: 96.3 g kg^?1) with the same level of FM and PM but with the same digestible protein/ digestible energy and EAA profile as the FM diet. The results showed that nitrogen and total amino acid digestibility of the tested ingredients were ranged from 85.6% to 95.5% and from 87.6% to 95.5% respectively. Apparent digestibility coefficients of protein for FM and PM were 91.2% and 95.9% respectively. In the growth trial, the weight gain rate and feed conversion ratio of fish fed the PMA diet did not show a significant difference from those of the control group, but were significantly higher than those of the PM and LPMA groups (P<0.05). Growth was related linearly to lysine and methionine intakes. It was shown that PM could be utilized in the Japanese seabass diet up to 115 g kg^?1 to replace about 160 g kg^?1 of FM protein under an ideal protein profile. Essential amino acid deficiency (diet PM) or a lower protein level despite having an ideal amino acid profile (diet LPMA) could not support the optimal growth of Japanese seabass.     

Apparent digestibility coefficients of selected feed ingredients for juvenile hybrid tilapia,Oreochromis niloticus×Oreochromis aureus

The apparent digestibility coefficients (ADCs) of dry matter, crude protein, crude lipid, gross energy, phosphorus and amino acids in local fish meal (LFM), Peruvian fish meal (PFM), poultry by‐product meal (PMM), meat and bone meal (MBM), tilapia by‐product meal (TM), fermented soybean meal (FSBM), soybean meal (SBM), peanut meal, canola meal (CM), cottonseed meal (CSM) and de‐gossypoled cottonseed meal were determined for juvenile hybrid tilapia (7.18 ± 0.2 g, mean ± SD). A reference diet (RF) and test diets (consisting of 70% RF and 30% of the feedstuff) were used with 0.5% chromic oxide as an external digestibility marker. The juvenile hybrid tilapias were stocked in 500‐L fibreglass tanks at a density of 20 fish per tank. Faeces were collected from triplicate groups of fish using a faecal collection column attached to the fish‐rearing tank. The results indicated that the ADCs of dry matter for juvenile hybrid tilapia ranged 71.88–89.53% for animal products and 65.89–79.98% for plant products. For crude protein, apparent digestibility coefficients of protein (ADCp) exceeding 90% were observed for FSBM, SBM and PFM, and ADCp of MBM was the lowest among all the treatments. Apparent digestibility coefficients of lipid in all the treatments were above 90%; the results indicate that lipids from both animal and plant sources were well digested by hybrid tilapia. The ADCs of phosphorus of animal and plant feedstuffs ranged between 58.04–74.44% and 52.65–64.23% respectively. The lowest ADC of phosphorus was observed in CSM among plant ingredients and in MBM among animal ingredients. The ADCs of energy were similar to those of dry matter and protein; the highest and lowest ADCs of energy were found in PFM and CM respectively. In general, the amino acid availability coefficients tended to reflect the ADCp among highly digestible ingredients. For the animal products, the availabilities of amino acids in PFM, LFM and PMM were generally higher than that in TM and MBM; among all the plant products, the availabilities of amino acids in FSBM and SBM were higher than in CM. These results indicated that juvenile hybrid tilapia is able to utilize different feedstuffs efficiently.     

Apparent digestibility of selected feed ingredients in diets for juvenile hybrid tilapia,Oreochromis niloticus×Oreochromis aureus

The apparent digestibility coefficients (ADCs) of dry matter, crude protein, crude lipid, ash, phosphorus, gross energy and amino acids of 10 selected ingredients for juvenile hybrid tilapia (7.05 ± 0.09 g) were determined using 0.5% Cr₂O₃ as an inert indicator. The feed ingredients tested in this study were corn gluten meal (CGM), corn byproduct, corn germ meal (CG), soybean meal (SBM), fermented soybean meal (FSM), soy protein concentrate (SPC), soy protein isolate, malt sprouts (MS), fish meal (FM) and earthworm meal (EM). The test diets were prepared by incorporation of 30% test ingredients into the reference diet. Reference and test diets were fed to the fish and the faecal samples were collected using a faecal collection column attached to the fish‐rearing tanks. The ADCs for dry matter, crude protein, crude lipid, ash, phosphorus and gross energy were 41.7–98.9%, 90.6–99.6%, 73.1–98.8%, 34.1–98.6%, 49.5–99.6% and 45.4–99.7% respectively. Soy protein isolate, FM and EM had higher dry matter, crude protein and gross energy ADCs. Corn byproduct and EM had higher crude lipid ADCs, and CG and EM had higher phosphorus ADCs. Corn germ meal had the highest ash ADC, while CGM had the highest value for gross energy. The lowest dry matter, crude protein, lipid and gross energy ADCs occurred in MS, while the lowest ash and phosphorus ADCs occurred in SPC. The amino acid ADCs ranged from 83.3% to 100%, exhibiting a positive correlation with crude protein digestibility for a given test ingredient. The feed ingredient digestibility of this study may provide useful information about nutrient and energy utilization to facilitate formulation of least‐cost practical diets for hybrid tilapia.     

团头鲂（Megalobrama amblyocephala Yih）对12种饲料原料消化率和可消化能的测定↑（*）

本实验以三氧化二铬为指示剂测定了一冬龄团头鲂（ＭｅｇａｌｏｂｒａｍａａｍｂｌｙｏｃｅｐｈａｌａＹｉｈ）对１２种饲料原料的干物质、粗蛋白质、粗脂肪、无氮浸出物、总磷和总能量的表观消化率，首次报道了总磷消化率和可消化能。从表观消化率和可消化能的角度评价了１２种饲料原料的营养价值，为开发适于团头鲂的人工配合饲料提供了科学依据。     

Evaluation of apparent digestibility coefficients of individual feed ingredients in spotted rose snapper Lutjanus guttatus (Steindachner, 1869)

Apparent digestibility coefficients (ADCs) for dry matter, crude protein, energy and essential amino acids for five commonly used feed ingredients were determined for juvenile spotted rose snapper Lutjanus guttatus (average body weight 90.6 g). ADCs were determined using the stripping technique to collect faeces after fish were fed a reference diet and test diets composed of 700 g kg^?1 reference diet and 300 g kg^?1 test ingredient. Chromic oxide (Cr₂O₃) was used as an inert indicator. Ingredients tested included sardine fishmeal (FM), canola meal (CM), tuna by‐products meal (TBM), poultry by‐product meal pet grade (PBM‐PG) and solvent‐extracted soybean meal (SBM). In general, all ingredients showed high digestibility values for all essential amino acids, although differences were detected among ingredients. ADC values for dry matter, protein and energy ranged 77.0–80.4%, 84.3–82.5% and 89–88.8%, respectively, for marine ingredient and land‐based animal protein sources, and 75.0–74.2%, 81.5–80.9% and 87.4–86.8%, respectively, for the plant‐based protein source. SBM, TBM and PBM‐PG should be further evaluated in feeding trials as partial FM replacements in rose snapper L. guttatus diets. Knowledge of ADC values for these ingredients will allow feed producers to develop nutritionally balanced, low‐cost feed formulations for this species.     

Apparent digestibility of animal,plant and microbial ingredients for Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei

A digestibility trial was conducted to determine apparent digestibility coefficients of dry matter, protein, energy and amino acids of animal, plant and microbial ingredients for Pacific white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei. The tested ingredients included traditional soybean meal (TSBM), PepsoyGen soybean meal (PSBM), NutriVance soybean meal (NSBM), fish meal (FM), poultry meal (PM), squid hydrolysis (SQH), scallop hydrolysis (SCH), flash dried yeast (FDY), two batches of Ulva meal (UMF and UMS) and bacteria biomass (BB). A basal diet was formulated and produced along with the experimental diets which included 300 g/kg of each ingredient and 700 g/kg of the basal diet. Juvenile shrimp (initial mean weight: 12 g, six shrimp/tank, n = 3) were stocked in a recirculation system. Apparent dry matter, protein and energy digestibility coefficients ranged from ?40.11% to 78.51%, 15.17% to 97.03% and 13.33% to 82.56% among different protein sources, respectively. In general, protein and energy digestibilities in soy sources (77.6% to 97.03% and 62.77% to 82.56%, respectively) are higher than the tested animal protein (51.39% to 71.41% and 45.29% to 69.77%, respectively) and single‐cell protein sources (15.17% to 53.47% and 13.33% to 40.39%, respectively). Among the three soybean sources, TSBM showed highest protein and energy digestibility. Apparent individual amino acid digestibility coefficients were also variable among different types of ingredients, and there was a reasonable correspondence to protein digestibility. The most digestible feed ingredients for Pacific white shrimp in this study were conventional soybean meal (SBM) and NutriVance soybean meal (NSBM), which indicated that these ingredients are good protein and amino acid sources for Pacific white shrimp. Resultant digestibility data may provide useful information to commercial shrimp feed industry.     

Apparent digestibility coefficients of selected feed ingredients for dourado Salminus brasiliensis

The excellence of its flesh and fast growth makes the dourado, Salminus brasiliensis , a carnivorous fish native to the Prata basin, a potential candidate for intensive fish farming. This study evaluated the apparent digestibility coefficients (ADC) of energy and nutrients of animal and plant protein sources for the carnivorous Characin dourado S. brasiliensis . Fish (19.5 ± 5.0 g) were stocked in plastic cages (80-L) and fed pelleted test diets containing 30% of the test ingredient [fish meal (FM), poultry by-product meal (PBM), soybean meal (SBM), and corn gluten meal (CGM) plus 70% of a reference diet (481.4 g kg⁻¹ of crude protein and 18.63 kJ of gross energy per gram]. After the last daily meal, cages were transferred to cylindrical, conical-bottomed aquarium (200-L) where faeces were collected by sedimentation in a refrigerated container. Except for ADC of protein and energy, all other ADC of nutrients showed significant differences ( P  < 0.01). ADC values were: 94.3%, 91.3%, 93.1%, and 93.5% for crude protein; 91.0%, 90.3%, 87.8%, and 88.8% for gross energy; 92.1%, 84.5%, 80.6%, and 79.3% for ash; 83.9%, 80.3%, 84.3%, and 84.6% for dry matter; 97.4%, 96.7%, 93.3%, and 91.5% for lipid for FM, PBM, SBM, and CGM, respectively. The average amino acid ADC was: 93.6%, 90.0%, 92.1%, and 92.5% of FM, PBM, SBM, and CGM, respectively. All test ingredients were efficiently used and can partially replace FM in diets for carnivorous dourado.     

Digestibility of Dry Matter, Protein, Lipid, and Organic Matter of Two Fish Meals, Two Poultry By-product Meals, Soybean Meal, and Distiller's Dried Grains with Solubles in Practical Diets for Sunshine Bass, Morone chrysops ×M. saxatilis

Limited information is available on digestibility of nutrients in various practical ingredients used in diets for commercially important finfish species, such as hybrid striped bass. This information is especially needed for sunshine bass, Morone chrysops × M. saxatilis , to improve least-cost diet formulations and to allow effective substitution of feedstuffs. A study was conducted with large (867 g) sunshine bass to determine the apparent digestibility coefficients (ADCs) for moisture, protein, lipid, and organic matter (OM) in a variety of ingredients in floating, extrusion-processed, diets. The practical ingredients tested were menhaden (MEN) fish meal (FM), anchovy (ANCH) FM, pet-food grade poultry by-product meal, feed-grade poultry by-product meal, dehulled soybean meal (SBM), and distiller's dried grains with solubles (DDGS). Test diets consisted of a 70:30 mixture of reference diet to test ingredient with chromic oxide (1.0%) as the inert marker. Reference and test diet ingredients were mixed and extruded on a Wenger X85 single-screw extruder to produce floating pellets. The digestibility trials were conducted in twelve 1200-L circular tanks. Diets were randomly assigned to tanks of 30 sunshine bass and were fed once daily to satiation. Protein digestibility coefficients were significantly ( P  < 0.05) different among test ingredients and ranged from 86.42% for MEN to 64.94% for DDGS. Lipid ADCs were significantly different ( P  < 0.05) among test ingredients and ranged from 92.14% for MEN to 57.11% for SBM. OM ADCs were significantly different ( P  < 0.05) among test ingredients and ranged from 89.41% for MEN to 16.94% for DDGS. This information will assist in the formulation of more efficient, economical diets for sunshine bass.     

Apparent digestibility of common feed ingredients by juvenile haddock, Melanogrammus aeglefinus L.

The digestible energy (DE) content and the apparent digestibility coefficients (ADCs) of nutrients in common feed ingredients available in Atlantic Canada for haddock, Melanogrammus aeglefinus, feed formulations were determined. Juvenile haddock (mean weight, 93.9±2.1 g) were held in tanks equipped with fecal collection columns and fed practical fish meal‐based diets for 5 weeks. The experimental diets consisted of a reference diet and six test diets, each containing 30% test ingredient, with all diets being supplemented with chromic oxide (Cr₂O₃, 5 g kg^?1) as the inert digestion indicator. Three marine fish by‐products, herring meal (HM), shrimp meal (SM) and crab meal (CRM) and three plant protein supplements, dehulled soybean meal (SBM), canola meal (CAM) and corn gluten meal (CGM) were the test ingredients. The DE content of HM, SBM, CGM, CRM, CAM and SM were 18.3, 18.0, 17.8, 12.4, 10.9 and 8.8 MJ kg^?1 respectively. Protein ADCs were 95.9%, 92.2%, 92.3%, 82.0%, 83.0% and 73.5% respectively. Organic matter ADCs were 95.9%, 89.0%, 72.6%, 68.9%, 58.9% and 54.9% respectively. Lipid ADCs were 97.9%, 83.0%, 57.4%, 62.0%, 87.2% and 55.8% respectively. Based upon its high crude protein content and nutrient ADC and DE content, properly processed dehulled SBM was found to be a good plant protein supplement to partially replace HM in haddock feeds.     

Apparent Protein and Energy Digestibility and Amino Acid Availability of Corn and Co‐products in Extruded Diets for Nile Tilapia,Oreochromis niloticus

We assessed the nutritional value of corn in extruded diets for Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus, by determining the apparent digestibility coefficients of dry matter, crude protein, and gross energy, and by measuring the apparent availability coefficients (AACs) of essential and non‐essential amino acids (AAs) in several corn‐based diets. We fed 180 juvenile Nile tilapia a reference diet containing 325.8 g/kg crude protein and 4613 kcal/kg gross energy or a test diet containing a 70:30 mixture of the reference diet and a test ingredient (whole corn, corn germ, corn germ meal, corn gluten feed, or corn gluten meal). The apparent digestibility coefficients ranged from 56.3 to 96.6% (dry matter), 89.4 to 96.8% (crude protein), and 59.0 to 95.4% (gross energy). The AACs of all AAs exceeded 80% for all diets and were >90% for corn gluten meal. All ingredients showed high levels of apparent digestibility for crude protein and high AACs of AAs. Diets based on whole corn or corn gluten meal showed higher digestibility values for dry matter and gross energy, suggesting that they are preferable choices for Nile tilapia.     

Apparent Digestibility of Different Ingredients in Diets for Bullfrog Rana catesbeiana Tadpoles

The objective of this study was to determine apparent digestibility of protein and energy of ingredients commonly present in rations fed to bullfrog tadpoles Rana catesbeiana such as corn, soybean meal, wheat meal, rice bran, poultry by-product meal, blood meal, fish meal, corn starch and soybean oil.
A completely randomized design was used to test ten experimental diets with four replicates. About 30% of the reference diet was replaced by the test ingredients, except for soybean oil that was used at 10% ratio and 0.5% of chromium oxide as inert marker. The values of apparent digestibility coefficient of crude protein (ADC_CP) and gross energy (ADC_GE) of the protein ingredients were, respectively: fish meal, 81 and 95%; poultry byproduct meal, 82 and 87%; blood meal, 64 and 53%; and soybean meal, 93 and 90%. While for the energetic ingredients, ADC_CP and ADC_GE, were, respectively: wheat meal, 100 and 72%; rice bran, 57 and 24%; and corn, 84 and 92%. Soybean oil and cornstarch ADC_GE values were 70 and 96%, respectively; cornstarch digestibility is highly dependent on feed processing technique.
The results showed that the ingredients of plant origin, except for rice bran, had good digestibility, thus indicating that tadpoles can effectively use plant protein. In this trial, the least digestible ingredients were blood meal and rice bran, thus indicating that the use of such ingredients in bullfrog tadpole diets should be limited.     

Amino acid availability and protein digestibility of several protein sources for Nile tilapia,Oreochromis niloticus

Apparent amino acid availability coefficients and protein digestibility of four animal products [fish meal (FM), meat and bone meal (MBM), poultry by‐product and feather meal] and four plant protein‐rich products [soybean meal (SBM), cottonseed meal‐28, cottonseed meal‐38 and corn gluten meal (CGM)] were determined for Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus. Ingredients were incorporated to a practical reference diet at a 7 : 3 ratio (70% of reference diet and 30% of test ingredient). Chromic oxide was used as external digestibility marker. Among animal products poultry by‐product meal (PBM; 89.7%) and FM (88.6%) presented the highest apparent protein digestibility (APD) while MBM (78.4%) and feather meal (78.5%) presented the lowest APD. Among plant protein‐rich products CGM (91.4%) and SBM (92.4%) presented the highest APD values while cottonseed meal‐28 presented the lowest APD (78.6%). Average apparent amino acid availability of feed ingredients was similar to protein digestibility with 92.3%, 89.6%, 73.4%, 80.7%, 88.9%, 84.4%, 91.2% and 79.7% values for SBM, CGM, cottonseed meal‐28 and 38, FM, MBM, PBM and feather meal respectively. These results indicate that O. niloticus is able to utilize efficiently different feedstuffs.     

Partial replacement of fish meal by soybean meal with or without methionine and phytase supplement in diets for juvenile Chinese sucker,Myxocyprinus asiaticus

This study was designed to evaluate the effects of using soybean meal supplemented with or without methionine (M) and graded levels of phytase (P) to replace high‐level (60%) fish meal in the diets for juvenile Chinese sucker. Seven experimental diets (about 430 g kg^?1 crude protein on dry matter basis) were formulated from practical ingredients. The control diet (FM) was formulated to contain 400 g kg^?1 white fish meal (FM), whereas in the other six diets (diets 2–7), soybean meal (SBM) was used to replace 60% fish meal with or without methionine (3 g kg ^?1) and 0,500, 1000, 1500 and 2000 U kg^?1 phytase (designated as SBM, SM, SMP500, SMP1000, SMP1500 and SMP2000, respectively). Results from the feeding trial indicated that SBM without any methionine or phytase supplement replacing about 60% FM significantly affected the growth of fish (P < 0.05). Weight gain of fish fed diet SM was significantly higher than the fish fed diet SBM, but still much lower than fish fed the control diet (P < 0.05). SBM with methionine and phytase supplement significantly improved the growth of fish and apparent digestibility coefficients of phosphorus compared with the groups which fed diet SBM and diet SM (P < 0.05). Weight gain of fish fed SMP1000, SMP1500 and SMP2000 had no significant difference than fish fed control diet. Furthermore, fish fed SMP1500 showed optimum weight gain and ADC of phosphorus between these three groups. This suggested that soybean meal with 3 g kg^?1 methionine and 1500 U kg^?1 phytase supplement could successfully replace 60% fish meal in the diet for juvenile Chinese sucker without affecting growth and enhanced the apparent digestibility coefficient of phosphorus.     

Effects of extrusion processing of feed ingredients on apparent digestibility coefficients of nutrients for rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of extrusion processing on apparent digestibility coefficients (ADCs) of dry matter, crude protein, crude fat, energy and minerals in soya bean meal (SBM), barley, corn gluten meal and whole wheat, using rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss as the test species. In addition, availabilities of amino acids were also determined in SBM. Feed ingredients were preconditioned at 89–93 °C and then extruded using a Wenger X‐85 extruder. Nonextruded ingredients were used as is, meaning that they were not preconditioned. The extruded and nonextruded ingredients were mixed with a casein–gelatin reference diet at 3 : 7 ratio prior to determination of ADC values. A total of 135 trout (initial mean body weight 223.4 ± 12.7 g) were stocked into nine 140‐L fibreglass digestibility tanks with 15 fish per tank. Individual tanks were assigned randomly to each of eight diets made from the four ingredients (extruded and nonextruded) plus the reference diet. After faeces were collected in the first week, the diets were switched among tanks, and faeces were collected again after 5‐day acclimation period in the second week. Yttrium oxide was used as the inert marker. Results showed that extrusion processing significantly improved ADCs of dry matter, crude fat and gross energy, and reduced ADCs of crude protein, phosphorus, copper, iron and zinc. Results also showed that the effects of extrusion processing on chemical composition and ADCs of nutrients depended on the ingredients. It is recommended that trace minerals such as copper, iron and zinc be supplemented by an additional 10–20% when rainbow trout diets are extruded because of their reduced bioavailability in plant meal‐based feed ingredients.     

Apparent digestibility coefficients of selected protein feed ingredients for loach Misgurnus anguillicaudatus

Apparent digestibility coefficients of dry matter, crude protein, lipid and energy, and amino acids availability in white fish meal, brown fish meal, meat meal, fermented soybean meal, soybean meal and rapeseed meal were determined for loach (Misgurnus anguillicaudatus) (12.05 ± 0.21 g), using a reference diet with 5 g kg^?1 chromic oxide and test diets that contained 700 g kg^?1 reference diet, by weight, and 300 g kg^?1 of the test feed ingredients. The juvenile loach was held in 300‐l tanks at a density of 30 fish per tank. White fish meal, brown fish meal, meat meal and fermented soybean meal had highest apparent digestibility coefficients (ADCs) of dry matter, crude protein and gross energy among ingredients tested, ranged from 50.4% to 60.9% for dry matter, from 64.6% to 88.4% for crude protein and from 57.9% to 79.0% for gross energy. The apparent digestibility coefficients of dry matter ranged from 61.0% to 66.9% for animal products and 50.4% to 60.7% for plant products. For crude protein, apparent digestibility coefficients of protein exceeding 80% were observed for white fish meal, brown fish meal, meat meal and fermented soybean meal, and the apparent digestibility coefficients of protein in rapeseed meal were the lowest among all the treatments. Lipids from both animal and plant feedstuffs were poorly digested by loach, ranging from 64.0% to 77.6%. The apparent digestibility coefficients of energy were similar to those of dry matter and protein, and the highest and lowest ADCs of energy were found in WFM and RM, respectively. The loach used dietary phosphorus from the animal feedstuffs more efficiently than from plant feedstuffs (soybean meal and rapeseed meal), with ADC‐values ranging from 42.3% to 53.1% and from 25.1% to 32.7%, respectively. For the animal products, the availabilities of amino acids in white fish meal and brown fish meal were higher than that in meat meal, expect for Met, Asp, Pro, Gly, and Cys. Among all the plant products, the availabilities of amino acids in fermented soybean meal were higher than in soybean meal and rapeseed meal, and thus had a greater potential to be used as a dietary replacement of fish meal in loach diets.     

Apparent Digestibility Coefficients of Selected Feed Ingredients for Yellowfin Seabream, Sparus latus

The apparent digestibility coefficients (ADC) of dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), gross energy (GE), and amino acid in seven feed ingredients were determined with juvenile yellowfin seabream (initial body weight, 41 ± 2 g; means ± SD) through two digestibility trials. The ingredients consisted of white fish meal (WFM), Peruvian fish meal (PFM), brown fish meal (BFM), rapeseed meal (RM), soybean meal (SBM), extruded soybean meal (extruded SBM), and peanut meal (PM). In each of the two trials, a casein–gelatin reference diet was mixed with test ingredients in a ratio of 70:30 to produce a series of diets, and yttrium oxide was used as the inert marker. The reference and test diets were fed to yellowfin seabream reared at 27.5 ± 1 C, and fecal samples were collected by siphoning. The derived DM, CP, and GE ADCs (means ± SD) for the test ingredients were, respectively, WFM – 72.3 ± 3.87, 86.4 ± 1.06, and 93.6 ± 2.63; PFM – 54.1 ± 15.45, 80.5 ± 7.81, and 77.4 ± 11.9; BFM – 57.7 ± 2.34, 82.8 ± 3.07, and 84.5 ± 5.77; RM – 33.5 ± 5.50, 84.7 ± 2.83, and 56.3 ± 9.87; SBM – 58.7 ± 4.42, 92.6 ± 3.94, and 58.1 ± 2.91; extruded SBM – 65.1 ± 16.52, 89.7 ± 1.68, and 64.8 ± 6.23; and PM – 70.6 ± 1.43, 97.3 ± 3.52, and 59.8 ± 4.78. The ADC of CP of both plant and animal feed ingredients was high, whereas DM and GE values varied greatly. Apparent DM digestibility coefficients of ingredients decreased as ash or fiber contents of ingredients increased, and the variation of apparent GE digestibility coefficients of ingredients is similar to that in DM, with the exception of the value for PM.     

Nutritional value of dry‐extruded blends of seafood processing waste and plant‐protein feedstuffs in diets for juvenile red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus,L.)

Six thermally processed blends were manufactured by dry‐extruding mixtures of seafood processing waste with either soybean meal (SBM) or distiller's dried grains with solubles (DDGS) at three different ratios (50:50, 60:40 and 70:30; wet basis). To assess the energy and nutrient digestibility of each blend, a digestibility trial was conducted using advanced red drum juveniles (~70 g). After computing the apparent digestibility coefficients for the mixtures, a comparative feeding trial evaluated replacement of menhaden fishmeal (FM) on digestible protein (DP) and digestible energy (DE) bases with the manufactured blends. A diet formulated to derive 70% of DP from FM and 30% from SBM served as a Control. Groups of 14 fish were stocked in 21, 110‐L aquaria operating as a recirculating aquaculture system, and treatments were randomly distributed in triplicate. Weight gain and feed efficiency of fish fed SBM 50:50, DDGS 50:50 and DDGS 60:40 were significantly lower compared to that of fish fed the Control diet. However, the inclusion of SBM 60:40, SBM 70:30 and DDGS 70:30 blends succeeded in partially replacing FM and reducing fish oil inclusion in the diet of red drum without compromising production performance.     

Partial replacement of fish meal by a mixture of soybean meal and rapeseed meal in practical diets for juvenile Chinese mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis: effects on growth performance and in vivo digestibility

An 8‐week experiment was conducted to examine the effect of partial replacement of fish meal (FM) by a mixture of soybean meal (SBM) and rapeseed meal (RM) in practical diets of juvenile Chinese mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis of initial body weight of 1.54±0.12 g (means±SD, n=90). Five isonitrogenous diets were formulated to contain 35% protein and 5% lipid. Soybean meal and RM mix (1:1 ratio) were included at five levels of 0 (control), 15%, 30%, 45% and 60%, replacing 0, 20%, 40%, 60% and 80% FM respectively. When FM was replaced by 15% of SBM and RM, crab showed the highest growth, feed utilization and moulting frequency (MF). Fish meal replaced by SBM and RM did not significantly influence crude protein, lipid and moisture contents of whole body crab, but ash content was the lowest for crab fed the diet with FM replaced by 15% of SBM and RM. Apparent digestibility coefficients (ADCs) of dry matter, crude protein and energy tended to decline with increasing inclusion levels of dietary SBM and RM. In general, ADCs of lipid were high (over 90%) and showed no significant differences among the treatments (P>0.05). Based on these observations above, these results indicated that about 40% of FM can be replaced with a mixture of SBM and RM (1:1 ratio) in the diet of E. sinensis without adverse growth performance, compared with the FM‐based diet. However, 20% of FM replaced by SBM and RM produced the best growth performance and feed utilization.     

Apparent nutrient digestibility of formulated diets by the Australian freshwater crayfish Cherax destructor Clark (Decapoda, Parastacidae)

Dry matter (DMD), protein (PD), ash (AD) and crude fibre (CFD) digestibility coefficients were determined for nine different diets fed to the Australian freshwater crayfish Cherax destructor Clark. Diets differed principally in the type and quantity of ingredients used to supply the protein component with fish, meat, soybean, snail, yabby and zooplankton meals comprising the main protein-based ingredients. DMD ranged from 71.8% (soybean meal 40%, Soy-40 diet) to a maximum of 91.4% (zooplankton-based diet). Protein digestibility coefficients were all high and ranged from 88.4% (Soy-0) to 96.0% (Soy-60). Protein digestibility did not appear to be influenced by the principal protein source. Diets that contained a high level of animal or plant-based protein were all highly digestible (PD, 94.1% for the yabby meal-based diet, 80.4% animal protein; PD, 95.2% for the Soy-60 diet, 80.2% plant protein). AD coefficients were highly variable and ranged from 17.3% (snail-based diet) to 73.2% (yabby meal diet). Crude fibre digestibility coefficients were as high as 57% (diet A30: fish/yabby/soybean meal-based diet). No apparent trend occurred in dry matter digestibility in relation to the ash or crude fibre components of the diets. The high digestibility coefficients obtained for a wide variety of diet-types suggests that C. destructor has a versatile digestive system which may reflect its natural polytrophic omnivorous feeding behaviour.     

Apparent energy,dry matter and amino acid digestibility of differently sourced soybean meal fed to Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei

Due to the variations in nutrient quality of soybean meal (SBM) that is a result of differences in production location and processing specifications, a study was conducted to determine the fluctuations in apparent digestibility coefficients of differently sourced SBM fed to Pacific white shrimps (Litopenaeus vannamei). Twenty‐four SBM‐based diets were formulated by mixing a basal diet and test ingredients on a dry matter basis (70:30 ratio), while 1% chromic oxide was used as the inert marker. The digestibility trial was carried out in a semi‐closed recirculation system with six replicate groups per treatment (mean shrimp weight of 10.2 g). Significant differences were observed for apparent dry matter, energy and protein digestibility coefficients (p < .05 was considered significant) among 24 sources of SBM and digestibility values ranged from 45% to 90%, 56% to 93% and 87% to 98%, respectively. Based on multivariate analysis, acid detergent fibre, neutral detergent fibre, lignin, raffinose and trypsin inhibitor were screened as the key chemical characteristics in SBM that influenced digestibility of nutrients in Pacific white shrimps. Variations in growth performances of shrimp were in line with the variations in apparent digestibility coefficients of SBM verifying the importance of digestibility data in shrimp feed formulations.