Apparent digestibility of protein, energy, and amino acids in some selected feed ingredients for pacu Piaractus mesopotamicus

The apparent digestibility coefficients (ADCs) of amino acids (AA), protein, and energy in six feed ingredients (Brazilian fish meal, soybean meal, corn gluten meal, alcoholic yeast, corn, and wheat bran) we evaluated for pacu juveniles. In general, all ingredients showed high digestibility values for all AA, and differences among ADCs of individual amino acid were detected ( P  < 0.01). Corn gluten, soybean, and fish meals had the highest ADCs of AA. The ADCs of protein in fish meal, yeast, and corn gluten meal should not be used as AA digestibility indicators, because those showed differences up to 6.7% between the ADCs of protein and AA. All ingredients had lower ADCs of energy than corn gluten meal ( P  < 0.01). Lysine was the first limiting amino acid in fish meal, corn gluten meal, wheat bran, and corn, and the second limiting amino acid in soybean meal, as methionine was the first limiting amino acid in soybean meal and yeast. However, the soybean meal was the best quality protein source, as it had the highest digestible essential amino acid index. This demonstrated that digestible amino acid values can be used to formulate practical diets for pacu, preventing potential deficiencies or excess that might cause environmental and economic losses.     

The inclusion of plant protein in cod diets, its effects on macronutrient digestibility, gut and liver histology and heat shock protein transcription

This paper reports on the use of plant protein in cod diets, and where corn gluten meal, soybean meal, a mixture of these, or a mixture of wheat gluten meal and soy protein concentrate, substituted fish meal in a regression design up to 440 g kg^?1 plant ingredients. Feeding lasted for a period of 20 weeks. High growth rates were obtained, and fish were able to maintain growth in all groups by increasing feed intake when plant proteins exerted high amounts of the protein fraction. This was confirmed by increased feed conversion ratio (FCR) values. The apparent digestibility measured by means of faecal stripping, showed high apparent digestibility coefficients (ADC) for fat, starch and protein. Small decreases in protein ADC and larger decreases in fat ADC were observed with high levels of plant protein ingredients. No histopathological changes were found, neither in liver nor in the different sections of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, for any of the diet groups. Expression of stress genes (heat shock protein 70 and 90 (HSP70 and HSP90)) in liver showed no response to high levels of plant protein. Invasion of gut‐bacteria in the distal part of the GI tract was substantial, but independent of diet level of plant ingredients. Gut evacuation analysis showed that the time for a meal to pass through the stomach and the GI tract was more than 72 h, with no variation dependent on diet plant protein level. The major conclusion is that cod shows a high tolerance to the plant protein sources investigated in this experiment, and consequently that Atlantic cod safely can be fed diets holding up to 440 g kg^?1 of the present investigated plant protein ingredients without any adverse effects on intestinal or liver function. There seems to be no gain if feeding frequency exceeds more than one large meal every 24 h at 6–7°C.     

Apparent and true availability of amino acids from common feed ingredients for South African abalone (Haliotis midae L.)

Apparent (APD) and true (TPD) protein digestibility and apparent (AAAA) and true (TAAA) amino acid availability of fish meal and plant protein ingredients utilized in the South African animal feed industry (corn gluten meal, soya bean meal, cottonseed meal, sunflower meal, canola meal, peanut meal, lupins and faba beans), incorporated at 450 g kg^?1 into single protein diets, were determined with juvenile South African abalone (Haliotis midae). Soya bean meal (96.34%) and lupins (96.51%) presented the highest APD values, with corn gluten meal (76.08%) the lowest value, while values for sunflower meal (92.21%), canola meal (93.94%) and faba beans (93.17%) were above 90%. APD values for cottonseed meal (86.28%) and peanut meal (86.73%) were comparable with that of fish meal (82.94%). A correlation coefficient (r) of 0.99 was found between ADP and mean AAAA. Furthermore, amino acid availabilities were relatively consistent within various feed ingredients. The mean amino acid secretion from a protein‐free diet was 19.08 mg 100 g^?1 dry diet, resulting in a mean increase of 1.88% units over all feed ingredients when comparing TAAA with AAAA. Calculated APD according to APD coefficients determined with single protein diets underestimated determined APD in several compound diets by 1.10–6.50%, while mean AAAA was underestimated by 6.93%.     

Growth, feed efficiency, digestibility and nutrient distribution in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) fed two different fish meal qualities at three dietary levels of vegetable protein sources

Atlantic cod were fed six diets where the ratio of protein from fish meal to vegetable protein were varied from 91%, 67% to 46%, respectively. The experimental groups were performed in triplicate in a 20 week growth trial, increasing fish weight from about 167 g to 690 g. The vegetable protein sources constituted full-fat soybean meal and corn gluten meal at a fixed ratio of 1:2, and replaced either a high quality fish meal (DC_Mink 92.3%) or a lower quality fish meal (DC_Mink 85.6%) in the diet. All diets were extruded and balanced to be equal in gross energy, crude protein, lipid, carbohydrate, lysine and phosphorus. No difference in growth (SGR 1%) was observed comparing the two fish meal qualities. However, feed intake was significantly higher (9%) and feed efficiency lower (10%) for lower quality fish meal compared to high quality fish meal. Protein and amino acid digestibility was significantly reduced in the lower quality fish meal, while unaffected by vegetable protein inclusion for both fish meal qualities. Protein utilization as measured by protein efficiency ratio and net protein value was not affected by fish meal inclusion, except in the diet using lower quality fish meal and high vegetable protein inclusion. Lipid and energy digestibility was significantly reduced by vegetable protein inclusion for both fish meals. The lower fish meal quality increased lipid deposition in the liver and affected slaughter quality of cod by increasing HSI and dressing out percentage at low and intermediate substitution levels. Muscle composition showed small dietary changes except for arginine, while liver fatty acid composition clearly reflected fatty acid profile of full-fat soya in the diets. Corn gluten meal and full-fat soybean meal (2:1) can replace approximately 50% of dietary protein without affecting feed intake, growth, protein digestibility or slaughter quality of cod when exchanging high quality fish meal. For the lower quality fish meal diets some lower inclusion of vegetable protein sources seem to be acceptable.     

Feed intake and growth performance of Senegalese sole (Solea senegalensis Kaup, 1858) fed diets with partial replacement of fish meal with plant proteins

To be able to study nutrient requirement and utilization in any species, a diet supporting normal feed intake and growth equally well as a traditional fish meal‐based diet is needed. Additionally the formulation of the diet should allow low levels of the nutrient under study. When studying the amino acid metabolism and requirements, one cannot rely on the fish meal‐based diets as fish meal are nicely balanced according to requirements. Therefore the current study aimed to develop a plant protein‐based diet (with low fish meal inclusion) to be used in the nutritional studies of Senegalese sole juveniles supporting feed intake and growth close to that obtained in a fish meal‐based control feed. Two experiments were conducted to evaluate whether Senegalese sole juveniles would accept and utilize diets containing high plant protein inclusion. For testing the acceptance of high plant protein inclusion, two diets were formulated: a reference diet that contained fish meal as the main protein source (450 g kg^?1 dry matter) whereas in the test diet, fish meal was substituted by a mixture of plant ingredients (soybean meal, corn and wheat gluten) with l ‐lysine supplementation. In order to improve the palatability, 50 g kg^?1 squid meal was added to both diets. The indispensable amino acids (IAA) profile of the test diet was made similar to the control diet by adding crystalline amino acids. Further, automatic feeders were used to improve the feed intake. Fish (24 g initial body weight) were fed the diets for a period of 4 weeks. As fish accepted both diets equally well, a second study was undertaken to test the growth performance. Fish (6 g initial BW) were fed the diets for a period of 12 weeks. The use of automatic feeders to deliver the feed and the addition of both squid and balancing the indispensable amino acids resulted in growth performance and accretion not differing from the fish meal fed control. It can be concluded that juvenile Senegalese sole are able to grow and utilize high plant‐protein diets when both diet composition and feeding regime are adequate for this species.     

Apparent digestibility coefficients of selected feed ingredients for juvenile snakehead,Ophiocephalus argus

Apparent digestibility coefficients (ADCs) of dry matter, crude protein, crude lipid, gross energy, phosphorus and amino acids in Peruvian fish meal, poultry by‐product meal, meat and bone meal, spray‐dried blood meal, hydrolysed feather meal, corn gluten meal, soybean meal, peanut meal, cottonseed meal and rapeseed meal were determined for juvenile snakehead (Ophiocephalus argus) with initial mean body weight of 78.1 g. A reference diet and test diets that consisted of a 70 : 30 mixture of the reference diet to test ingredient were used with 5 g kg^?1 Cr₂O₃ as an external indicator. Fish meal, poultry by‐product meal and corn gluten meal had higher ADCs of dry matter, crude protein, and gross energy among ingredients tested. Dry matter ADCs ranged 61.9–81.5% for animal ingredients and corn gluten meal and ranged 52.2–68.0% for soybean meal, peanut meal, cottonseed meal and rapeseed meal. Energy ADCs of ingredients followed similar trends to differences in dry matter digestibility. Protein ADCs of animal and plant ingredients ranged 73.6–92.8% and 75.3–85.6%, respectively. Amino acid ADCs generally reflected protein digestibility. Lipid ADCs were relatively high for the ingredients tested. Phosphorus ADCs of animal and plant ingredients ranged 39.5–65.2% and 38.7–57.1%, respectively.     

Inclusion of size fractionated fish hydrolysate in high plant protein diets for Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua

Fish hydrolysate was evaluated as feed ingredient in high plant protein diets in an 89 days feed experiment with Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua). The fish hydrolysate was size fractionated by ultra- and nano-filtration and the various fractions were tested specifically as feed ingredients to trace any effect observed with the hydrolysate. All diets contained 68% of total protein as plant protein, added as a mixture of corn gluten, full-fat soy bean meal, soy protein concentrate and extracted soy bean meal. The diets were equal in protein, lipid and energy. The control diet contained 21.8% fish meal. Fish hydrolysate was tested in another diet where one third of the fish meal protein was exchanged with the fish hydrolysate. Retentate after ultra-filtration of fish hydrolysate and retentate and permeate after nano-filtration were used in three separate diets at dietary inclusion levels corresponding to the absolute dry matter level of the fractions in the hydrolysate. The cod tripled in weight during the experimental period. No significant differences were observed for growth or feed intake for any groups. The diets containing retentate from ultra- and nano-filtration showed lower feed efficiency than the control diet with fish meal or the diet containing fish hydrolysate or permeate after nano-filtration. In conclusion the results show that fish hydrolysate may successfully be used as a protein source in high plant protein diets for Atlantic cod in exchange of fish meal. Removal of small molecules from the fish hydrolysate by filtration reveals poorer feed utilization indicating that this marine fraction of small compounds is important for optimal growth of Atlantic cod. This may be important in the discussion of increased dietary utilization of plant protein sources in feed for fish.     

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.     

Utilization of combined extruded soybean and corn gluten meals as feed ingredients for juvenile rainbow trout,Oncorhynchus mykiss diet

In this study, feeding experiment and subsequent digestibility trial were performed to investigate the utilization of extruded soybean meal (SBM) and corn gluten meal (CGM) as feed ingredients for juvenile rainbow trout. Plant ingredients have undergone extrusion at low temperature (100°C, LT) or high temperature (150°C, HT) for 30 s. Four isonitrogenous (44%, crude protein) and isolipidic (14%, crude lipid) diets were formulated. Control diet is fishmeal based while a combined (1:1) non‐extruded SBM and CGM for NE diet, LT SBM and LT CGM for LT diet and HT SBM and HT CGM for HT diet. Two hundred forty rainbow trout juveniles (7.8 g average body weight) were randomly divided into 12 rectangular 60 L glass aquaria and offered four different diets in triplicate. Fish were fed at satiation twice a day, six days a week for 12 weeks. Phosphorus in phytic acid level of extruded ingredients decreased through extrusion cooking. Final weight, weight gain, SGR and PER of fish fed HT diet were significantly (p < .05) higher than those fed with NE diet. Apparent digestibility coefficient for protein of LT and HT diets is significantly higher than of NE diet. The results of this study demonstrated that HT extruded SBM and CGM are suitable feed ingredients for rainbow trout diet without compromising fish growth, feed utilization and fish body composition.     

红鳍东方鲀对8种饲料原料的表观消化率

本研究旨在探讨红鳍东方鲀(Takifugu rubripes)幼鱼对红鱼粉、白鱼粉、豆粕、菜粕、花生粕、棉粕、玉米酒糟蛋白(DDGS)和肉骨粉中干物质、粗蛋白、粗脂肪、氨基酸、总能和总磷的表观消化率.实验饲料由70％的基础饲料和30％的待测饲料原料组成,并添加0.1％的三氧化二钇(Y2O3)作为外源添加剂,选取平均体重...     

Effects of varying dietary compositions using common feed ingredients on growth and feed efficiency of pond‐raised channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus (Rafinesque)

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate various ingredient combinations in a 28% or 32% protein diet for optimum performance of channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus. All diets contained soybean meal and corn, but with or without cottonseed meal, wheat middlings or fish meal (FM). Channel catfish fingerlings were stocked into 0.04 ha earthen ponds at 18 530 fish ha^?1. Fish were fed one of eight diets once daily to apparent satiation for two growing seasons. Results demonstrated that the dietary ingredient composition used had significant effects on fish performance, but magnitude of differences was relatively small. Overall, diets containing FM resulted in greater weight gain (Experiments 1 and 2) and lower feed conversion ratio (Experiment 1) than fish fed all‐plant diets. However, certain combinations of plant ingredients provided the similar fish growth as some diets containing FM. There were no significant differences in weight gain between fish fed soybean meal–corn or soybean meal–corn–wheat middlings‐based diets with cottonseed meal or FM. The use of wheat middlings in the diet had no significant effects on fish production characteristics.     

Digestibility of Alternative Protein‐Rich Feedstuffs for Channel Catfish,Ictalurus punctatus

Apparent digestibility coefficients (ADCs) of amino acids, crude protein, gross energy, and dry matter of canola meal, corn gluten feed, fish offal meal, shrimp and fish offal meal, poultry by‐product meal, and hydrolyzed feather meal were determined for channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus. Experimental diets contained 30% test ingredient, 69.5% casein‐based reference diet, and 0.5% chromic oxide. Groups of 20 fish (102.45 g) were fed the experimental diets twice a day at 3.5% body weight. Fecal samples were collected in triplicate daily at 0000 h and 0600 h after settlement into collection devices. Shrimp and fish offal meal and corn gluten feed presented significantly lower (P < 0.05) ADC for dry matter (59.5 and 39.3%) suggesting their low value as feedstuffs for catfish feeds. Although ADC values for crude protein were above 80% for all the test ingredients, amino acid digestibility varied significantly, except for histidine whose ADC remained constant regardless of the protein source. Lysine was the first limiting amino acid in most of the test ingredients, except in fish offal meal and poultry by‐product meal. Among the protein sources tested, only fish offal meal and poultry by‐product meal met channel catfish amino acid requirements for a 28% digestible protein grow‐out diet.     

First step of non‐fish meal,non‐fish oil diet development for red seabream, (Pagrus major), with plant protein sources and microalgae Schizochytrium sp

A feeding experiment was conducted to develop non‐fish meal and non‐fish oil diet for red seabream by using plant protein source and Schizochytrium meal which is rich in 22:6n‐3 (DHA). Three iso‐nitrogenous and iso‐lipidic experimental diets were prepared (CP 41.2% ± 0.4%, CL 16.4% ± 1%). Control diet contained both fish meal (40%) and fish oil (6%). In the second diet, fish meal was replaced by plant meals (soy protein concentrate, soybean meal, corn gluten meal) [FO]. In the third diet, fish meal and fish oil were replaced by algae meal (Schizochytrium sp. powder) and plant proteins [AO]. Duplicated groups of juvenile red seabream (8.8 g ± 1.5) were fed the experimental diets for 12 weeks to near satiation. There was no statistical difference among treatment in specific growth rate. Feed conversion ratio of AO diet group was higher than that of control. In wet basis, whole body protein level was significantly higher in AO diet than FO group while lipid content was lower than control group. In fatty acid profile, AO group had significantly lower 18:4n‐3, 20:4n‐3, 22:5n‐3 and 20:5n‐3 (EPA) level, but significantly higher 18:3n‐3 and DHA level than the other two diet fed fish. The results might suggest that further developments in microalgae diet offer a promising lipid source of n‐3 PUFA as essential fatty acid on marine fish. And it showed possibility to develop non‐fish meal and non‐fish oil feed for marine aquaculture fish by using microalgae.     

Apparent protein and energy digestibility of common and alternative feed ingredients by Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua (Linnaeus, 1758)

Studies were conducted with Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua (L.), to determine the apparent digestibility coefficients (ADCs) of protein and energy and the digestible energy (DE) content in feed ingredients widely available in Canada. We also tested the assumption of “independency” used in digestibility studies. The feed ingredients included two fish meals (herring, anchovy), three crustacean by-product meals (whole krill, crab, shrimp), two animal by-product meals (poultry by-product, hydrolyzed feather), six oilseed meals (soybean, soy protein concentrate, soy protein isolate, canola, canola protein concentrate, flaxseed), two pulse meals (white lupin, pea protein concentrate) and two cereal grain meals (corn gluten, wheat gluten). Protein ADCs were high for wheat gluten meal (99.9%), soy protein concentrate (98.6%), soy protein isolate (97.4%), whole krill meal (96.3%), herring meal (93.3%), soybean meal (92.3%), anchovy meal (92.2%), pea protein concentrate (89.8%), white lupin meal (89.7%), crab meal (89.4%), canola protein concentrate (88.8%) and corn gluten meal (86.3%); mid-range for poultry by-product meal (80.2%) and canola meal (76.0%); and low for shrimp meal (66.7%), hydrolyzed feather meal (62.4%) and flaxseed meal (50.2-55.0%). Energy ADC was high for whole krill meal (96.3%), wheat gluten meal (95.4%), soy protein concentrate (94.9%), herring meal (92.8%), soy protein isolate (92.1%), soybean meal (88.1%) and anchovy meal (86.4%); mid-range for canola protein concentrate (83.3%), corn gluten meal (82.7%), crab meal (82.4%), pea protein concentrate (76.7%) and white lupin meal (75.3%); and low for poultry by-product meal (71.0%), canola meal (60.6%), hydrolyzed feather meal (58.9%), shrimp meal (41.4%) and flaxseed meal (21.2-37.4%). From the protein ADC data, results clearly showed that the basal diet and test feed ingredients were digested independently of one another in nearly all cases, the only exceptions being for those diets containing test ingredients of very high (> 99%, wheat gluten) or very low (< 67%, hydrolyzed feather and flaxseed) protein ADCs. In the case of DE, the basal diet and test feed ingredients were digested independently in all test diets without exception.     

Evaluation of corn gluten meal as a protein source in diets for gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata L.) juveniles

A 12‐week growth trial was conducted to evaluate corn gluten meal as an alternative protein source to fish meal in diets for gilthead sea bream juveniles. The experimental diets were formulated to be isonitrogenous and isoenergetic and to have 20%, 40%, 60% and 80% of fish meal protein, the only protein source in the control diet, replaced by corn gluten meal. At the end of the growth trial only the group fed the diet with 80% corn gluten protein exhibited significantly reduced growth and feed efficiency compared with the fish meal‐based diet. This was most likely due to a dietary amino acid deficiency in that diet. A trend was noticed for feed efficiency to improve with the replacement of fish meal protein in the diets up to 60%. There were no significant differences among groups in protein and energy retention (as percentage of intake). At the end of the trial whole body water content of the experimental groups was significantly lower and the lipid content of groups including 60% and 80% corn gluten protein was significantly higher than that in the control. No other differences were observed in whole body composition among groups. Apparent digestibility coefficients (ADC) of the diets were evaluated in a separate trial. The ADC of dry matter of the experimental diets was significantly higher than in the control diet; there were no significant differences among diets in the ADC of energy and protein, except for the ADC of protein of diet with 80% corn gluten protein, which was significantly lower than the control. The results of this study indicate that corn gluten meal can replace up to 60% fish meal protein in diets for gilthead sea bream juveniles with no negative effects on fish performance.     

Growth Response of Tilapia Fed Diets Rich in High-Lysine Corn and Corn Gluten

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to find out if fish meal is necessary in tilapia diet for good growth response. Five experimental diets (32% protein) containing 46-51% high-lysine corn, 20% corn gluten meal, supplemented with soy grits and synthetic amino acids, with and without fish meal were formulated. The diets were fed to tilapia with average initial weight of 13 g for 70 days in aquaria. Weight gain expressed as percentage increase after 70 days or as grams/day, feed conversion ratio, and protein efficiency ratio were equal (P > 0.05) to a commercial feed (36% protein) for all experimental diets. It appears that 32% protein diets with 46-51% high-lysine corn and 20% corn gluten meal were adequate for tilapia based on weight gain, feed conversion ratio, and protein efficiency ratio, and that fish meal is not necessary for tilapia feed to obtain good growth response.     

The effects of less-expensive plant protein sources replaced with soybean meal in the juvenile diet of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella): growth, nutrient utilization and body composition

In this study, the effects of less-expensive protein sources replaced with soybean meal on growth performance, nutrient utilization and body composition of juvenile grass carp were investigated. For this purpose, a control diet containing 42% soybean meal was prepared. Cotton seed meal (CSM), sunflower meal (SFM) and corn meal (CM) were added to the experimental diets by replacing 100% of the soybean meal protein used in the control diet. All diets were iso-nitrogenous (40% crude protein) and iso-caloric (19.5?MJ?kg^?1 gross energy). Each treatment had three replicates, and 20 juvenile grass carps (3.5?±?0.1?g, initial weight) were located in per replicate. The fish were fed to satiety three times in a day during 3?months at 26°C of water temperature in glass aquarium (45 l). The results of the study showed that the weight gain (308.6?C448.6%), specific growth rate (1.56?C1.89%/day), feed conversion rate (1.2?C1.9), protein efficiency ratio (1.32?C2.08), and apparent digestibility coefficients of protein (80.5?C89%) or sum of amino acids (80.5?C88.9%) were not significantly affected by the experimental diets, except diet CM. All of these values obtained for the diet CM were significantly lower than those of fish fed on the control, CSM and SFM diets. However, there were no significant differences between the lipid digestibility of the diets, and crude protein, lipid, and gross energy contents in the whole body of fish in experiments. In conclusion, CSM and SFM diets were highly utilized by juvenile grass carp, but not CM diet. These results combined with the remarkable acceptability of diets containing high levels of plant protein ingredients with identical growth performances of juvenile grass carp show clearly that dietary soybean meal level can be considerably reduced without any adverse consequence in terms of somatic growth and nitrogen utilization.     

Evaluation of fish-meal free diets for rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss

Eight experimental diets were formulated for rainbow trout using agricultural byproducts as major ingredients. Each experimental diet contained varying amounts of corn grain, corn gluten meal, corn gluten feed and one of the following: 200 g kg^?1 peanut meal, 200 or 400 g kg^?1 soybean meal (SBM), 390 g kg^?1 low-allergen soy flour, 310 g kg^?1 soy protein concentrate, 300 g kg^?1 low-allergen soy protein concentrate or 200 g kg^?1 SBM + 110 g kg^?1 blood meal. One diet contained 200 g kg^?1 SBM and canola oil as the main lipid source. The remaining diets contained 95 g kg^?1 menhaden oil. Fish fed a commercial trout diet exhibited significantly greater weight gain (322%), and a lower feed conversion ratio (0.89) but significantly lower protein efficiency ratio (2.18) than fish fed the experimental diets. Within the experimental diets, fish fed the 400 g kg^?1 soy flour diet and the 400 g kg^?1 soybean meal diet had significantly higher weight gains (276% and 268%) and protein efficiency ratios (2.58 and 2.52), and lower feed conversion ratios (1.02 and 1.03) than fish fed other experimental diets. Fillet flavour varied between treatments. Most notable was the lower fishy flavour and higher chicken flavour of fish fed the diet that contained canola oil rather than menhaden oil. Microscopic evaluation of the liver and five sections of the gastrointestinal tract failed to demonstrate any differences between treatment groups. The ingredient costs of several experimental diets were lower than the estimated cost of a standard commercial trout diet. However, the superior feed conversion ratios of fish fed the control diet resulted in lower feed costs per unit of fish produced.     

Amino Acid Availability of Four Practical Feed Ingredients Fed to Striped Bass Morone saxatilis

Four dietary protein sources were bio-assayed for amino acid availability, as estimated by true digestibility, when fed to striped bass Morone saxatilis . Diets were formulated to contain either herring fish meal, soybean meal, corn gluten meal or peanut meal as the sole source of dietary protein. A fifth diet, containing no protein, was fed to estimate the level of endogenous amino acids for calculation of true digestibility. The five dietary treatments were randomly assigned to ten tanks of striped bass having an average weight of 150 g per fish. All fish received the assigned diet fed at a rate 1.5% of the biomass per day for a period of 10 d. Fecal samples were collected from anesthetized fish by gentle, manual stripping of the lower digestive tract. Diets and feces were analyzed for dry matter, chromium, nitrogen and amino acid concentrations. There were no statistical differences (P > 0.05) among the protein sources for apparent dry matter digestibility or availability of arginine, threonine, valine and nonessential amino acids with the exception of cysteine. Corn gluten meal had a significantly lower availability coefficient for lysine, and peanut meal had significantly lower availability coefficients for histidine, isoleucine, leucine, and lysine when compared to herring fish meal and soybean meal. Statistically there were no differences between soybean meal and herring fish meal for any nutrient tested. These data suggest that in terms of amino acid availability and overall protein quality, soybean meal could be used to spare herring fish meal in striped bass diets, with corn gluten meal being equally as useful when supplemented with lysine or complemented with other proteins.     

Development of plant‐based diets and the evaluation of dietary attractants for juvenile Florida pompano,Trachinotus carolinus L.

Sustainable and profitable commercial aquaculture production of marine fish species is dependent on the development of sustainable protein sources as substitutes for expensive animal meals such as fishmeal (FM). Previous Florida pompano Trachinotus carolinus studies have indicated that poultry by‐product meal (PBM) and meat and bone meal can be used to produce a FM‐free diet if suitable levels of nutrients (such as taurine) are included in the diets. In this study, we attempted to develop an all‐plant protein diet by removing the animal proteins in practical diets for pompano by substituting back select ingredients. A series of eight FM‐free diets were formulated, four systematically replaced soybean meal (SBM) with soy protein concentrate (SPC) and four replaced PBM with SPC. Based on the results, there is no clear disadvantage to the use of SPC as a replacement for SBM. However, the complete removal of PBM resulted in reduced performance. Two additional growth trials were conducted to supplement additional amino acids including glycine, valine and histidine, a proprietary chemical attractant mix, fish protein concentrate and squid hydrolysate to improve the growth of pompano when fed all‐plant protein diets. The only improvement in performance occurred with the squid hydrolysate. These results demonstrate that using soybean meal, soy protein concentrate and corn gluten meal as the primary protein sources, a plant‐based feed formulation can be developed, but the removal of all animal proteins is not yet feasible.