Apparent Protein Digestibility and Growth Performance of Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus L.) Fed on Sunflower and Cotton Seed Meal as Substitutes for Freshwater Shrimp Meal (Caridina nilotica)
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Date
2024
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Wiley
Abstract
ish feed is critical in aquaculture production, accounting for over 60% of operational costs, with protein being the most expensivecomponent. Traditionally, fish meal (FM) has been the primary protein source. However, due to declining capture fisheries andhigh demand, FM has become scarce and costly, necessitating the search for alternative, low-cost, and nutritionally balancedprotein sources. A 180-day feeding experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of replacing FM with a combination ofcottonseed and sunflower meal (SFM) in Nile tilapia diets on growth performance, protein digestibility, and economic returns.Freshwater shrimp meal was replaced at 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% (diets D1, D2, D3, and D4) and compared to the control diet(D0) containing only FM. Monosex Nile tilapia fingerlings (25 Æ 0.01 g) were allocated to 15 cages within an 800 m 2 earthen pond.Fish on diets D0 and D1 showed superior growth performance metrics, including final mean body weight, weight gain, daily weightgain, specific growth rate, feed conversion ratio, and survival rate (p>0:05), compared to diets D2, D3, and D4. Growth perfor-mance declined significantly with increasing levels of the plant protein mixture (p<0:05). Diet D0 had the highest apparent proteindigestibility, while D4 had the lowest. Cost-benefit analysis revealed that diet D0 had the highest production cost, followed by dietsD1, D2, D3, and D4, with no significant cost difference between D0 and D1 (p>0:05). Thus, the plant protein mixture caneffectively replace FM at a 25% inclusion level in Nile tilapia diets.
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Maundu, Anne, et al. "Apparent protein digestibility and growth performance of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus L.) fed on sunflower and cotton seed meal as substitutes for freshwater shrimp meal (Caridina nilotica)." Aquaculture Research 2024.1 (2024): 2713506.