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.