Effects of fish meal replacement with animal protein blend on growth performance,nutrient digestibility and body composition of juvenile Chinese soft‐shelled turtle Pelodiscus sinensis

An 8‐week feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the potential of partial replacement of fish meal with rendered animal protein blend (APB) [meat and bone meal (MBM): expanding blood meal (EBM) = 4 : 1] in the diet of juvenile Chinese soft‐shelled turtle Pelodiscus sinensis. Seven isonitrogenous and isoenergetic practical diets replacing 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50% and 60% fish meal protein by APB were formulated. Weight gain, feed efficiency, protein efficiency and the apparent digestibility coefficients (ADCs) of dry matter and gross energy in the experimental diets all exhibited no significant difference (P > 0.05) when dietary fish meal was replaced for 0–40%, but decreased significantly (P < 0.05) with further increasing substitution levels. However, relative feed intake, ADC of lipid as well as the contents of whole‐body moisture, protein, lipid and ash all showed little differences (P > 0.05) among all the treatments. Nitrogen retention and the ADCs of protein and most amino acids all decreased significantly (P < 0.05) when fish meal was substituted by more than 30%. The results indicated that fish meal in the practical diet of juvenile Chinese soft‐shelled turtle could be replaced by 30–40% using a combination of MBM and EBM without negative effects on growth performance, nutrients digestibility and body composition.     

Thiamine requirement of Chinese soft‐shelled turtle,Pelodiscus sinensis (Wiegmann)

The objective of the present study was to estimate the dietary thiamine (vitamin B₁) requirement of juvenile soft‐shelled turtles, Pelodiscus sinensis. Eight experimental diets containing 0, 1.90, 3.63, 5.65, 7.51, 9.62, 11.37 and 13.64 mg thiamine/kg diet were fed to 160 soft‐shelled turtles reared individually for 10 weeks. The turtles had an average weight of 5.33 ± 0.21 g. Among all the dietary groups, weight gain, feed utilization and tissue thiamine were the lowest in the turtles fed with a thiamine‐free diet. The variables increased when dietary thiamine increased and then levelled off beyond 3.63 mg/kg diet. In contrast, plasma pyruvate and lactate concentrations in turtles decreased when dietary thiamine increased and then levelled off beyond 3.63 and 5.65 mg/kg diet respectively. Estimation using a broken‐line regression model, the vitamin B₁ requirement of soft‐shelled turtles was 3.2 mg thiamine/kg diet based on weight gain and plasma lactate concentration. When tissue thiamine and plasma pyruvate concentrations were used as the indicators, the estimated requirement was 5.4–6.5 mg/kg diet.     

Partial replacement of fish meal by soy protein concentrates in diets for a new Japanese strain of juvenile soft‐shelled turtle,Pelodiscus sinensis

An 8‐week experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary fish meal (FM) replaced by soybean protein concentrate (SPC) on Japanese strain of soft‐shelled turtle, Pelodiscus sinensis juveniles. Diets were formulated to replace FM protein by SPC at 0, 15, 30, 45, 60 or 60% supplemented with phytase (2000 FTU kg^?1) (designated as S0, S15, S30, S45, S60 and S60P, respectively), and each diet was fed to triplicate groups. The results showed that the growth was significantly lower when dietary SPC replaced more than 45% FM. The turtles fed the S15 or S30 diet showed comparable feed and protein utilization efficiency compared with the S0 group, whereas more than 30% replacement of FM adversely affected these values. Increasing dietary SPC levels significantly lowered the apparent digestibility coefficients (ADC) of dry matter, protein, lipid, phosphorus and gross energy. Whole‐body protein, ash and phosphorus content showed a declining trend when dietary SPC levels increased, while body lipid and moisture content were unaffected. When the turtles were fed diets with increasing levels of SPC, serum total protein concentration, alkaline phosphatase and catalase activities decreased with a corresponding increase in glutamic pyruvic transaminase activity. Turtles fed the S60P diet showed comparable growth performance and feed utilization efficiency to the S40 group, and were superior to the S60 group. The present study showed that SPC could successfully substitute for 30% FM protein in the diets for P. sinensis juveniles, and the maximum effective substitution may be greater if exogenous phytase was added.     

Effects of dietary magnesium on the growth,carapace strength and tissue magnesium concentrations of soft‐shelled turtle,Pelodiscus sinensis (Wiegmann)

A feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary magnesium on the growth, carapace strength, tissue and serum Mg concentration of soft‐shelled turtles, Pelodiscus sinensis (Wiegmann). Juvenile soft‐shelled turtles of approximate 5.4 g body weight were fed diets with seven levels of Mg (48, 206, 369, 670, 955, 1195 and 1500 mg Mg kg^?1) for eight weeks. No significant difference (P ≥ 0.05) was found in weight gain (WG), feed conversion ratio or protein efficiency ratio among treatments. However, the WG of turtles continued to increase with increasing dietary Mg levels up to 670 mg kg^?1, beyond which the WG levelled off. The plasma alkaline phosphatase activity and the muscle, bone Mg concentrations of the turtles increased with the increasing dietary Mg levels between 48 and 955 mg kg^?1, beyond which the tissue Mg concentrations remained relatively constant. Furthermore, the carapace strengths of turtles fed with the control diet of 48 mg Mg kg^?1 were significantly weaker (P < 0.05) than that of turtles fed with diets containing higher Mg levels. Based on a broken‐line modelling analysis, the required dietary Mg level for the optimal WG of juvenile soft‐shelled turtles was estimated to be approximately 650 mg kg^?1. By contrast, the required dietary Mg levels for turtles to reach the optimal muscle and bone Mg concentrations were 1050 and 1000 mg kg^?1 respectively. The required dietary Mg level for maximal alkaline phosphatase activity was approximately 980 mg kg^?1.     

Estimation of dietary vitamin A requirement of juvenile soft‐shelled turtle,Pelodiscus sinensis

A feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the dietary vitamin A requirement of the soft‐shelled turtle Pelodiscus sinensis. Turtles with an approximate body weight of 6.8 g were fed diets containing 0–4.58 mg kg^?1 (15 251 IU) vitamin A (retinyl acetate) for 8 weeks. Turtles fed diets without vitamin A showed the lowest growth performance. The animals gradually gained weight when dietary vitamin A increased from 0 to 3.6 mg kg^?1. Liver vitamin A gradually increased with supplementation of dietary vitamin A of up to 2.7 mg kg^?1. Beyond this concentration, the vitamin A in the liver significantly increased. Data analysis using a polynomial regression or exponential model showed that the estimated dietary vitamin A requirement for juvenile soft‐shelled turtles based on weight gain, red blood cell count and liver vitamin A measurements was 3.48, 2.84 and 2.58 mg kg^?1, respectively.     

Effects of dietary β‐carotene levels on growth and liver vitamin A concentrations of the soft‐shelled turtle,Pelodiscus sinensis (Wiegmann)

A feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effect of dietary β‐carotene level on the growth and liver vitamin A concentrations in soft‐shelled turtles, Pelodiscus sinensis, fed a vitamin A‐free diet. Soft‐shelled turtles were fed diets containing 0, 14.5, 26.5, 47.5, 87.3, 112.8 and 163.8 mg β‐carotene kg^?1 for 10 weeks. Although it was not statistically significant due to high deviation within each group, mean weight gain of soft‐shelled turtles fed the diet without β‐carotene supplementation was the lowest among all test groups. Vitamin A concentrations in liver of turtles significantly (P<0.05) increased when dietary β‐carotene level reached 47.5 mg kg^?1 indicating that soft‐shelled turtles were capable of converting β‐carotene to vitamin A. Analysed by regression modelling, dietary β‐carotene levels for optimal growth and maximal liver vitamin A contents of juvenile soft‐shelled turtles fed the vitamin A‐free diets were 49.1 and 88.7 mg kg^?1 respectively.     

Efficacy and tolerance of lutein as colourant in diet of juvenile soft‐shelled turtle Pelodiscus sinensis

The effects of dietary supplementation of lutein on the growth, haematological profile and pigmentation in target tissues of the soft‐shelled turtles were investigated. Five experimental diets were prepared with lutein levels at 1.16 (D1, control), 70.3 (D2), 132 (D3) and 239 (D4) mg kg^?1, and one more high inclusion level of 3410 mg kg^?1 (D5) was included for tolerance test. Each diet was fed to 24 juvenile turtles for 8w. Specific growth rate (SGR) in D2, D3 and D4 was significantly higher than that of group D1 and D5. Skin yellowness (b*) and chroma (C*) of both carapace and plastron skin were all significantly increased with higher dietary lutein levels. Dietary lutein supplementation turned the H° values of skins into yellowness. The accumulation of lutein in skin and muscle also augmented significantly with increasing lutein levels and fit a logarithmic correlation with dietary lutein levels. There were almost no differences in haematological parameters of all turtles. Lutein is an efficient and safe colourant in diet of soft‐shelled turtle. The optimal inclusion levels for the highest SGR and desired skin colour in carapace and plastron of soft‐shelled turtle were 162, 142 and 143 mg kg^?1, respectively.     

Effect of dietary supplementation of probiotic on performance and intestinal microflora of Chinese soft‐shelled turtle (Trionyx sinensis)

This experiment was conducted to study the effect of dietary supplementation of probiotic on performance and intestinal microflora of Chinese soft‐shelled turtle. Healthy Chinese soft‐shelled turtles (6000 pieces with average weight of 5 g) were selected and randomly divided into two groups: control and treatment with three replicates each. The control was fed on normal basal diet, whereas treatment was fed on basal diet supplemented with 1 × 10⁸ cfu.g^?1 Bacillus subtilis preparation. The results showed that the final mean weight of treatment (265.84 ± 3.48 g) was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than that of control (240.45 ± 4.32 g). There was significant difference (P < 0.05) in FCR, and DGs were obtained in probiotics fed group as compared to control. The level of sucrase, maltase, amylase, lipase and ATPase of treatment was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than that of control. Pyrosequencing showed that the dietary supplementation of probiotic Bacillus strain decreased microbial diversity. Phylum Firmicutes was dominant in both groups. Compared with the control, Firmicutes was increased, while others were decreased in treatment group. The results indicated that dietary supplementation of probiotic can improve growth performance, digestibility and intestinal microflora in Chinese soft‐shelled turtle.     

Newly identified C‐type lysozyme in Chinese soft‐shelled turtle (Pelodiscus sinensis) exhibits potent antimicrobial activity

Lysozymes play vital roles in humoural immune response against bacterial invasion by its lytic activity. In the present study, a new C‐type lysozyme was identified and characterized from Chinese soft‐shelled turtle Pelodiscus sinensis. The full‐length cDNA of PslysC was of 923 bp, encoding a polypeptide of 148 amino acid residues. The multiple alignments and phylogenetic relationship analysis revealed the highly enzyme‐related conserved residues. The real‐time PCR analysis suggested that PslysC was constitutively expressed in a wide range of tissues with highest level in blood cells and liver. The expression of PslysC could be significantly up‐regulated under Aeromonas jandaei infection and ammonia exposure, while no significant changes were found under Poly I:C infection. The rPslysC protein was expressed in E. coli and purified by Ni‐NTA. The optimal pH and temperature for rPslysC protein lytic activities were determined at pH 7 and 30℃. rPslysC can inhibit the growth of eight kinds of Gram‐negative bacteria, and three kinds of Gram‐positive bacteria. The binding activity of rPslysC to different microbial polysaccharides and microorganism was analysed. The results showed that rPslysC could bind to selected bacteria, and exhibit a strong binding activity to lipopolysaccharide and peptidoglycan, but a weak binding activity to β‐glucan. This suggests that the binding activity might be the major mechanism of action to realize the antibacterial activity. The present study will provide helpful evidence to further understand the innate immunity of P. sinensis, and the interaction mechanisms of C‐type lysozymes with bacterial membranes.     

Effects of natural feeding stimulants and glutamic acid supplementation on the feed intake,growth performance and digestive enzyme activities of red sea bream (Pagrus major) fed fish meal‐free soy protein concentrate (SPC)‐based diet

Two experiments were conducted for red sea bream (Pagrus major). In experiment 1, the optimum level of glutamic acid and natural feeding stimulants to enhance feed intake were determined and found that glutamic acid level of 0.5% and fish meat hydrolysate (FMH) were effective. In experiment 2, fish were fed with soy protein concentrate (SPC)‐based diet with synthetic feeding stimulants (Basal diet), the Basal diet with FMH (FMH diet), the FMH diet with glutamic acid (FMHG diet) and with fish meal diet (FM diet) as a control until satiation for 8 weeks. Feed intake of FMHG‐fed fish was significantly higher than others (p < 0.05). Specific growth rate and the feed conversion ratio of FMHG were comparable to those of FM‐fed fish (p > 0.05). Relative visceral fat ratio and crude lipid content of any SPC‐based diet‐fed fish tended to be lower than those of FM diet‐fed fish. There were no significant differences in trypsin and lipase activities hepatopancreas among treatments. SPC can be utilized as a sole protein source in a diet for red sea bream. The lower growth performance in SPC‐based diet‐ fed fish was not due to poor digestive enzyme secretion but could be associated with lipid utilization disorder.     

Effects of fishmeal replacement with cottonseed meal protein hydrolysate on growth,digestion and intestinal histology of juvenile Chinese soft‐shelled turtle,Pelodiscus sinensis

A 60‐day feeding experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of fishmeal (FM) replacement with cottonseed meal protein hydrolysate (CPH) on growth, digestion and intestinal histology of juvenile Chinese soft‐shelled turtle (Pelodiscus sinensis). Five diets were formulated to replace 0, 50, 100, and 150 g/kg fishmeal protein by CPH (CPH0, CPH5, CPH10, CPH15) and CPH15L (CPH15 with micro capsule‐L‐lysine). Weight gain, feed conversion rate and protein efficiency ratio showed no significant differences compared to control group (p > .05). The highest feed intake indicated in CPH15 (p < .05). The composition of whole‐body varied slightly in each groups (p > .05). The trypsin activity significantly elevated when dietary fishmeal protein was replaced by CPH at 30–90 g/kg (p < .05). A significantly higher lipase activities in CPH5 than control group (p < .05). The CPH5‐10 groups showed higher villus height than the other groups (p < .05). The microvillus length in turtles with CPH showed a significant increasing length (p < .05). The results indicated that replacing up to 90 g/kg of dietary fishmeal protein with CPH did not hamper growth or reduce feed intake of turtles. Moreover, CPH replaced 60 g/kg FMP can increase intestine digestive enzymes activities and improve intestinal development.     

Effects of different feed stimulants on freshwater crayfish (Procambarus clarkii), fed diets with or without partial replacement of fish meal by biofeed

The feeding trials were carried out with freshwater crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) to evaluate the three feed stimulants betaine (Bet), squid extract (SE) and squid meal (SM) upon fish meal (FM) diets or biofeed (BF) diets in which FM were partially replaced by BF. Results showed the three feed stimulants had no significant effect on growth. By the relative concentration of markers in the faeces and diets, the preference for each diet was estimated, and the best stimulant was the mixture of Bet, SE and SM. As FM replaced by BF increased, added with the mixture, the relative weight gain showed an increasing trend, but decreased significantly by 30% replacement. With the substitution increasing, trypsin activities increased, whereas decreased too upon 30% substitution. Less than 30% replacement, there was no significant effect on muscle proximate composition, intestine amylase activities and serum haemocyanin contents, except the drop of lipid. The results indicated that the mixture of Bet, SE and SM could perform well as a feed stimulant. And with the addition of the mixture, FM in the diet could make about no more than 20% saving without any adverse effects.     

Effects of animal–plant protein ratio in extruded and expanded diets on nitrogen and energy budgets of juvenile Chinese soft-shelled turtle (Pelodiscus sinensis Wiegmann)

In this study, we investigated the effects of animal–plant protein ratio in extruded and expanded diets on nutrient digestibility, nitrogen and energy budgets of juvenile soft‐shelled turtle (Pelodiscus sinensis). Four extruded and expanded feeds (diets 1–4) were formulated with different animal–plant protein ratios (diet 1, 1.50:1; diet 2, 2.95:1; diet 3, 4.92:1; diet 4, 7.29:1). The apparent digestibility coefficients (ADCs) of dry matter and crude lipid for diet 1 were significantly lower than those for diets 2–4. There was no significant difference in crude protein digestibility among diets 1–4. The ADC of carbohydrate was significantly increased with the increase in animal–plant protein. Although nitrogen intake rate, faecal nitrogen loss rate and excretory nitrogen loss rate of turtles fed diet 1 were significantly higher than those fed diets 2–4, nitrogen retention rate, net protein utilization and biological value of protein in these turtles were significantly lower than those fed diets 2–4. In addition, energy intake rate, excretory energy loss rate and heat production rate of turtles fed diet 1 were also significantly higher than those fed diets 2–4. Faecal energy loss was significantly reduced with the increase in the animal–plant protein ratio. The ADC of energy and assimilation efficiency of energy significantly increased with a higher animal–plant protein ratio. The growth efficiency of energy in the group fed diet 1 was significantly lower than those in the groups fed diets 2–4. Together, our results suggest that the optimum animal–plant protein ratio in extruded and expanded diets is around 3:1.     

Effect of replacing fish meal with soybean meal and of DL‐methionine or lysine supplementation in pelleted diets on growth and nutrient utilization of juvenile golden pompano (Trachinotus ovatus)

The experiment was conducted to determine the effect of dietary DL‐methionine addition in fish meal reduction diet for juvenile golden pompano (Trachinotus ovatus). The trial comprises the following of 11 diet treatments. (i) D1 diet as the standard was formulated with fish meal as the main protein source. (ii) D2–D5 diets were formulated to replace fish meal with soybean meal at 60, 120, 180 and 300 g kg^?1, respectively, and the amino acid profiles (including methionine and lysine) of D2–D5 were referred to the amino acid profile of D1. (iii) D6‐D9 diets were the same as D2–D5, respectively, but without methionine supplementation. (iv) D10 and D11 diets were the same as D3 and D5 diets, respectively, but without lysine supplementation. Each diet was randomly fed to groups of 20 fish (initial average weight about 18 g) per net cage (1.0 × 1.0 × 1.5 m) in triplicate and the feeding experiment lasted for 56 days. Weight gain (WG, %) and final body weight (FBW, g) of fish fed D3 diet were significantly higher than those of fish fed D8 and D9 diets (P < 0.05), but without significant differences with fish fed other diets (P > 0.05). Feed conversion ratio (FCR) of D3, D4 and D5 diet treatments were significantly lower than that of D11 diet treatment (P < 0.05), but without significant difference with other diet treatments (P > 0.05). Whole‐body protein contents of fish fed D3–D5 were significantly higher than those of fish fed D7–D9 (P < 0.05), but without significant differences with fish fed other diets (P > 0.05). In conclusion, the replacement of fish meal by soybean meal could reach 300 g kg^?1 without detrimental but profitable effect on growth and survival when enough methionine and lysine were supplemented in the diet; moreover, lysine is not the first‐limiting amino acid relative to methionine for juvenile T. ovatus from the present growth and proximate composition results.     

中华鳖MyD88部分序列克隆及其在组织中的表达差异分析

MyD88(Myeloid differentiation factor 88,MyD88)是多数TLRs(Toll like receptor,TLRs)信号转导过程中的关键接头分子。研究根据MyD88(Myeloid differentiation factor 88,MyD88)TIR结构域(Toll-like/IL-1 receptor domain)保守区设计简并引物,通过PCR扩增,成功地从中华鳖脾脏cDNA中扩增出351bp的目标序列。测序后经结构域和序列比较分析,扩增片段为中华鳖的MyD88 TIR结构域。该序列与大黄鱼、鸡等脊椎动物的MyD88的TIR结构域序列同源性和相似性分别为72.9%～86%和77.6%～83.6%。以热灭活嗜水气单胞菌刺激中华鳖后,经荧光定量PCR检测,在48h内,肝、脾和肾组织中MyD88 mRNA相对表达量均出现不同程度的增加,尤以脾脏中的增幅最为明显,为对照组的6.89倍;中华鳖心脏成纤维样细胞经20ng LPS刺激后1～8h,MyD88表达量有所提高,24h的表达量最高。该研究结果将为开展中华鳖天然免疫奠定良好基础。     

Effect of DL‐methionine supplementation on the success of almost total replacement of fish meal with soybean meal in diets for hybrid tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus × Oreochromis mossambicus)

This study evaluated the effects of increasing levels of methionine (Met) supplementation on the success of almost total replacement of fish meal (FM) with soybean meal (SBM) in diets for hybrid tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus × Oreochromis mossambicus). Fish were fed for 70 days a FM‐based diet (Diet1‐positive control) or SBM‐based diets supplemented with graded levels of DL‐methionine (Diet2 to Diet7). Contrast in dietary Met, concentration was created by supplementing Diet2‐negative control with 1.2 (Diet3), 2.4 (Diet4), 3.6 (Diet5), 4.8 (Diet6) or 6.0 g kg^?1 (Diet7) of DL‐Met. Specific growth rate (SGR), feed conversion ratio (FCR), and protein gain and retention efficiency (PER) improved significantly with increasing levels of dietary DL‐Met supplementation. Moreover, nonlinear regression analysis of the effects of supplementing SBM‐based diet with graded levels of DL‐Met indicated that a dietary Met + Cys level of 15.7 and 12.5 g kg^?1 diet (as fed) was required to reach 95% of maximum weight and protein gain, respectively. Supplementation of SBM‐based diet with graded levels of DL‐Met proved an effective strategy in reducing FM content in practical diets for hybrid tilapia. Data also indicate that adjustment of dietary formulas according to currently recommended Met or Met + Cys dietary concentrations is probably limiting maximum growth potential of hybrid tilapia.     

Effects of guanidinoacetic acid supplementation in all‐plant protein diets on growth,antioxidant capacity and muscle energy metabolism of bullfrog Rana (Lithobates) catesbeiana

Effects of guanidinoacetic acid (GAA) supplementation in all‐plant protein diets were evaluated on growth, antioxidant capacity and muscle energy metabolism of Rana (Lithobates) catesbeiana. Six diets were prepared: a basal fish meal diet (FM), an all soybean meal diet (SM) and four GAA‐supplemented diets by adding 0.2, 0.4, 0.6 and 0.8 g GAA/kg to the SM diet (GAA2, GAA4, GAA6 and GAA8 diets). Triplicate groups of bullfrog (45 ± 0.2 g) were fed the diets to apparent satiation for 8 weeks. Total substitution of FM with SM led to significantly (p < .05) reduced growth and feed utilization. Adding 0.4 g GAA/kg to the SM diet significantly improved growth performance, and the values were comparable to those of FM group. SM and GAA2 groups showed drastically lower serum total antioxidant capacity than FM, GAA4 and GAA6 groups. Also, SM and GAA2 groups showed significantly lower catalase activity than FM and GAA8 groups. A remarkable increase in serum malondialdehyde concentration was detected in SM and GAA2 groups. FM and GAA6 groups exhibited significantly higher serum creatinine concentration than other groups. Muscle creatine kinase activity and glycogen content were significantly decreased in SM group and application of 0.4–0.6 g GAA/kg significantly improved their values. GAA4 group showed significantly lower pyruvate kinase activity than FM and GAA6 groups. Also, GAA2 and GAA4 groups had significantly lower succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) activity than other treatments. These findings show that supplementing 0.4 g/kg GAA to SM‐based diets improves growth, antioxidant capacity and muscle energy metabolism.     

Effects of DL‐methionine supplementation on the success of fish meal replacement by plant proteins in practical diets for juvenile gibel carp (Carassius auratus gibelio)

A ten‐week feeding trail was conducted to investigate the effects of increasing DL‐methionine (Met) supplementation on the success of fish meal (FM) replacement with plant proteins in practical diets for juvenile gibel carp, Carassius auratus gibelio. Twelve isoenergetic diets were formulated including two 150 g kg^?1 FM diets (Diet 1—positive control 1 reflecting a commercial diet and Diet 2—positive control 2 reflecting a commercial diet but with balanced essential amino acid (EAA) profile) and ten 50 g kg^?1 FM diets (negative controls) supplemented with graded levels (0–3.0 g kg^?1) of DL‐Met (Diets 3–12). Each diet was fed to triplicate groups of gibel carp, near satiation four times daily for 10 weeks. Diet 2 with balanced EAA profile produced better final weight, specific growth rate (SGR) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) than the negative control diet containing no supplemental Met (Diet 3), but did not significantly differ from Diet 1. However, DL‐Met supplementation (0.5–3.0 g kg^?1) in the negative control diets (Diets 4–12) produced growth performances similar to those fed the positive control diets (Diets 1 and 2). Based on quadratic regression analysis, the optimal dietary Met level with 5.2 g kg^?1 of dietary cysteine (Cys) was found to be 7.1 g kg^?1 dry diet for SGR and FCR. The corresponding total sulphur amino acid requirements (Met + Cys) of this species were calculated to be 12.3 g kg^?1 dry diet for SGR and FCR. DL‐Met supplementation in 50 g kg^?1 FM diets showed a decreasing trend in plasma cholesterol contents (p < .05). No significant differences were observed in whole‐body composition, plasma protein, triglyceride and free EAA contents among dietary treatments, while plasma aspartate transaminase, albumin and ammonia contents were significantly influenced by dietary Met levels. Juvenile gibel carp grew equally well on 150 g kg^?1 FM diet or 50 g kg^?1 FM diets balanced for EAA profile with supplemental amino acids. The results of this study overall indicate that balancing dietary amino acid levels with DL‐Met supplementation is a key strategy in successfully reducing FM levels in the diets of gibel carp.