Evaluation of Soybean Proteins as Replacements for Menhaden Fish Meal in Practical Diets for the Red Drum Sciaenops ocellatus

• Published in: Journal of the World Aquaculture Society
• Main Authors: Davis, D. Allen, Jirsa, D., Arnold, C. R.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 1995
• Subjects: Red drum; Sciaenops ocellatus
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-7345.1995.tb00208.x; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1749-7345.1995.tb00208.x; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1749-7345.1995.tb00208.x

Abstract A series of growth trials was conducted to evaluate the use of soy protein as a replacement for fish protein in isonitrogenous practical diets for juvenile red drum Sciacnops ocellatus . Feeds were offered at or in excess of satiation to juvenile red drum maintained at 26–28 C and a salinity of 25–35 ppt. In the first growth trial, red drum were offered one of four diets containing graded levels of menhaden fish meal, replacing solvent‐extracted soybean meal and soy‐protein isolates. Differences in weight gain, survival and feed efficiency ratios of the fish corresponded to increases in fish meal content of the diets. Due to poor performance of the fish maintained on the low (15%) fish meal diet, a methionine supplement was introduced into this diet at the midpoint of the growth trial. A positive increase in growth indicated a dietary deficiency of methionine and/or total sulfur amino acids in the unsupplemented diet. A positive response to dietary fish meal also occurred in the second growth trial despite the supplementation of L‐methionine in the test diets. In low fish meal diets the utilization of solvent extracted soybean meal or a soy‐protein isolate resulted in similar growth responses. Hence, the presence of an antinutrient did not likely cause reduced growth rates. In the third feeding trial, weight gain also increased with increasing fish meal content of the diet despite the equalization of digestible protein and selected amino acids. There were no significant differences in whole‐body compositions which indicated similar biological value of the diets (protein digestibility, amino acid balance and energy availability). The singular deletion of fish‐solubles, glycine, lysine and methionine from the diet containing the lowest level of fish meal (10 g/100 g diet) did not result in significant changes in weight gain. This indicated that these components did not add to the nutritive value and/or palatability of this formulation. The final experiment was designed to evaluate the response of red drum ...