Alternative protein sources in diets for farmed tilapia.
2004
Ogunji, J. O.
Global tilapia production has been increasing in the last decade, with output doubling from 830000 mt in 1990 to 1.6 million mt in 1999. Tilapia are very easy to culture and have the potential of becoming the prime freshwater species for culture. The ever increasing need for cheap sources of protein to meet the world's overpopulation problem underscores the necessity to increase tilapia production. Unfortunately the increasing cost and short supply of fish meal constitute an impediment. At the moment, fish meal is the most widely sought after fish feed ingredient. Many different feed ingredients have been tested in an effort to replace fish meal in the diets of tilapia. These include animal protein sources, plant protein sources and aquatic plants. These feeds have one thing in common; they are all cheaper than fish meal. Most enjoy high availability and accessibility in certain regions of the world. Unfortunately attempts to use them to replace the fish meal component in farmed tilapia diets have resulted in variable success, with some leading to reduced feed efficiency and growth. Factors such as protein composition, amino acid profile, digestibility, phosphorus content, palatability and acceptability of the feeds, may have contributed to the variation in the results obtained. This review examines the influence these factors have on the attempt to completely replace fish meal in the diets of tilapia. It also attempts to show the extent of work carried out in identifying alternative protein sources for tilapia.
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