Elsevier

Aquaculture

Volumes 416–417, 5 December 2013, Pages 328-333
Aquaculture

Replacement of fish meal by a novel non-GM variety of soybean meal in cobia, Rachycentron canadum: Ingredient nutrient digestibility and growth performance

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2013.09.049Get rights and content

Highlights

  • Effects of fish meal replacement on Cobia diets were examined.

  • Navita's ADCs were higher than those of SBM for nearly every nutrient evaluated.

  • Crude protein ADCs were 82 and 69% for Navita and SBM, respectively.

  • Fish fed the Navita-high diet had the lowest FIFO ratio at 0.9 ± 0.16.

  • Results indicate that Navita meal can be incorporated at very high levels in cobia.

Abstract

A constraint for the expansion of cobia aquaculture is the availability of high quality formulated diets which reduce or eliminate fish meal (FM) protein. Therefore, the nutritive value of a novel soybean cultivar, Navita™ (Navita, non-genetically modified and selectively bred soy), and regular, commodity soybean meal (SBM, de-hulled, defatted, roasted and solvent-extracted) was evaluated for cobia, Rachycentron canadum via separate digestibility and growth trials. In the first experiment Navita's apparent digestibility coefficients (ADC) were higher than those of SBM for nearly every nutrient evaluated. Crude protein ADCs were 82 and 69% for Navita and SBM, respectively. Apparent DC for amino acids ranged from 68 to 109% for Navita whereas, amino acid ADCs for SBM varied from 42 to 98%. The feeding trial utilized fish of a size that more closely resembles commercial cobia stocking (1.8 kg), and was conducted over a 91-day period. Experimental diets (iso-nitrogenous and iso-energetic) were formulated such that 67% of the FM protein in the reference diet was replaced by either a combination of SBM + soy protein concentrate (SPC, Solae Profine®) labeled MXSB-diet, or by a combination of SPC + Navita; Navita-diet, hereafter. A fourth experimental diet had 80% of the FM protein replaced by a combination of Navita + SPC and was identified as Navita-high. No significant differences (P > 0.05) were observed in fish fed the experimental diets for feed conversion ratio, protein efficiency ratio, feed efficiency, mean daily intake, gross protein intake, gross energy intake, visceral somatic index, muscle ratio, and hepatosomatic index. Fish fed the Navita-high diet had the lowest fish in:fish out ratio (FIFO) at 0.9 ± 0.16. These results indicate that Navita meal can be incorporated at very high levels in the diet of marine carnivorous fish such as cobia with no detriment to performance, making it a prime candidate for FM replacement in aquafeeds.

Introduction

Aquaculture is a rapidly growing food-producing industry; however, there is still considerable potential for increased efficiency and efficacy of aquaculture through development of nutritious and cost-effective alternatives to traditional marine protein feedstuffs such as fish meal (FM). For cobia aquaculture, this is particularly relevant as suitable diets which reduce or eliminate FM protein are not yet commercially available. This species is the only member of the family Rachycentridae which is distributed worldwide in tropical and subtropical waters (Benetti et al., 2008, Ditty and Shaw, 1992, Shaffer and Nakamura, 1989). Cobia is well recognized for its fast growth and excellent meat quality and has been intensively farmed since the 1990s (Liao et al., 2004). The technology for reliable broodstock spawning and mass production of cobia fingerlings has been long established at the University of Miami Experimental Hatchery (UMEH). However, while the fundamental technology for cobia production is in place, more research is needed to resolve bottle-neck issues of cobia culture, particularly at the grow-out stage. One such limitation is the formulation of commercial diets with reduced FM levels that are both economical and environmentally friendly, while also maintaining optimal growth performance and disease resistance. The global FM supply remains relatively static but demand and price continue to increase (Naylor et al., 2009). Therefore, FM is a raw material that cannot be relied upon for aquaculture expansion. In contrast, soybean meal (SBM) has long been recognized as an excellent source of protein for animals and humans (Baker, 2000). However, SBM inclusion levels as replacement of FM in aquafeeds are limited by species-specific digestive physiology and by the presence of both heat-resistant and thermo-labile anti-nutritional factors (ANFs). While solvent-extracting and cooking may significantly reduce the biological activity of temperature-sensitive protease inhibitors, this processing also renders protein less available for absorption at the gastrointestinal level. Therefore, the present study was conducted to evaluate the apparent digestibility coefficients (ADCs) of protein and amino acids of a novel variety of non-genetically modified (GM) soybean product (Navita™) and contrast these coefficients against those obtained from fish fed conventional SBM. In addition, a study oriented at maximizing FM replacement in cobia diets, using fish close to marketable size was performed. The use of protein sources such as standard SBM, soy protein concentrates (SPC) and non-GM soy from selective breeding programs could greatly improve the profitability and ecologic sustainability of the industry. The overarching objective was to improve both the ecological and economic efficiencies of formulated feeds for cobia, Rachycentron canadum.

Section snippets

Materials and methods

Care and handling of the fish as well as procedures used in this study were reviewed and approved by the University of Miami Animal Care and Use Committee. Navita™ meal was donated by Navita Premium Feed Ingredients (NPFI), West Des Moines, IA. This is a genetically unique, patented non-GM soy cultivar, which contains increased levels of protein and amino acids for animal feed and reduced ANF levels. Beans are made into a defatted meal by conventional methods but this particular variety is

Digestibility

Cobia readily consumed the test diets at approximately 3% body weight and the 30% inclusion of Navita or SBM did not result in reduced diet palatability. Feces were collected exclusively from the distal gastrointestinal tract (rectum). The ADCs for protein, energy and amino acids varied considerably (Table 4) with significant differences (P < 0.05) detected among the fish fed diets containing Navita or SBM. The ADC for crude protein was almost 20% higher in Navita than for SBM. In general, most

Discussion

The determined ADCs for protein and amino acids, presented in Table 4, are generally lower than those described for cobia in previous digestibility studies (Zhou et al., 2004). The use of a different fecal collection technique – settling columns vs. manual stripping – may explain in part these differences. As explained by Glencross et al. (2005), test diets containing high levels of vegetable ingredients including SBM may result in fecal pellets of lesser density and thus prone to increased

Acknowledgments

We wish to express our gratitude to the Illinois Soybean Association (Mr. Mark Albertson) for funding this research. Our sincere thanks to Mr. Francisco de la Torre and Dr. Michael Cremer for their support. Also the assistance of the Oceanic Institute (Dr. Warren Domini), the Fish Nutrition Laboratory at Texas A&M University (Dr. Delbert Gatlin) and the Food Protein Research & Development Center (Dr. Mian Riaz) also at Texas A&M University in diet manufacturing and sample analysis is greatly

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