Fagbenzo, O., Jauncey, K., Krueger, R.-1997
Journal of Applied Ichthyology,13 (1) : 27-30
Abstract:
Dry diets containing either fish meal (C FM) or dried fermented fish silage and soybean meal blend (1:1(w/w)) (C FS) as the sole protein source, were fed to triplicate groups of juvenile Clarias gariepinus (10.8 +/- 0.3 g) at 5% body weight per day for 70 days. Catfish fed the C FS diet showed reduced (P < 0.05) growth rate, feed conversion, protein efficiency and digestibility. Lower amounts of available amino acids in the C FS diet resulted in inferior nutritive value for catfish growth than in the C FM diet. Postprandial changes in plasma amino acids showed similar patterns in both diet treatments, but the maximal mean levels attained for the C FS diet were correspondingly lower and occurred earlier than with the C FM diet. There were no effects of feeding C FS diet on the hepatosomatic index but carcass analysis showed that body protein deposition was lower (P < 0.05). Differences in haematocrit, haemoglobin content and liver histology were demonstrated but were not pathological. Lower digestible energy of C FS diet also contributed to the poor performance of catfish in this treatment. Results of this study indicate that C. gariepinus cannot metabolize protein from co dried fish silage as efficiently as fish meal protein when used as the sole dietary protein.
(Fed Univ Technol Akure, Dept Fisheries & Wildlife, PMB 704, Akure Ondo, Nigeria)
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