Tilapia is the second most farmed fish group worldwide and over the past decade has quadrupled in production, largely due to their many characteristics conducive to aquaculture conditions as well as to the high marketability and relatively stable market prices. To keep pace with this rapid expansion, tilapia aquaculture will rely increasingly on more sustainable practices, but this must not be at the expense of decreased productivity, increased cost or compromised product quality. Since feed constitutes the major operating cost of tilapia farming, understanding their nutritional requirements, factors that may influence these requirements and implementing the most appropriate feeding management strategy is essential for the continued sustainability and scalability of the global tilapia industry. This review addressed these concerns by providing an overview of published nutrient requirement data and offered practical recommendations to the nutrition and feeding management of farmed tilapia, from broodstock to finishing feeds. The first section of this review extensively discusses the dietary protein/amino acids, lipids/fatty acids, carbohydrates, vitamin and mineral requirements of tilapia. Alternatives to marine-based ingredients, which are used increasingly in tilapia feeds, are also discussed. This is followed by discussing practical feed management aspects at the commercial farm level including feed formulations, feed types and feeding rates/frequency throughout the culture cycle. Recent research indicating significant differences in nutrient requirements and utilization efficiencies of improved tilapia strains versus non-improved strains are highlighted. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of tilapia nutrition and thus contributes to the continued global expansion of tilapia farming and the demand for their products.

A review of the nutrition and feeding management of farmed tilapia throughout the culture cycle

https://works.bepress.com/kurt_rosentrater/129/download/

Alternative Protein Sources for Aquaculture Feeds

Potential of microalgae as a sustainable feed ingredient for aquaculture

Seaweeds have potential for the provision of biomass for food and feed supplements. The demand is increasing especially for proteins as ingredients; however, the amino acid profile is essential for evaluation of the nutritional value of proteins. The year-round protein concentration and amino acid profiles of Saccharina latissima were determined, and the harvest time and nutritional potential were evaluated. Bi-monthly samples were analyzed from S. latissima (including epiphytes, when present) cultivated commercially at an integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) site and a reference site in Denmark in 2013–2014. Overall, there was no significant difference for the tested parameters between the two sampling sites; however, seasonal variations were found. The protein concentration varied markedly reaching a maximum of 10.8 % dry weight (DW) in November and a minimum of 1.3 % DW in May 2013. Aspartic and glutamic acids dominated the amino acid profile, accounting for up to 49 % of the total. Greatest seasonal differences in amino acid composition occurred in July, with leucine contributing most (22.7–26.7 %) of the observed differences. A maximal essential amino acid (EAA) score of 68.9 % (based on WHO/FAO/UNU requirements) was achieved in November 2013. The presence of epiphytes in July to November changed neither the amino acid content nor the EAA score. S. latissima is comparable with wheat as a protein ingredient for fish feed and appears to be a suitable protein/amino acid source for human consumption. This study proposes that there may be a mismatch between harvest time and nutritional value. The preferable harvest time for S. latissima is November, due to high protein content and EAA score. However, higher yield and cleaner biomass for human consumption would be found in May.

Seasonal variations in the amino acid profile and protein nutritional value of Saccharina latissima cultivated in a commercial IMTA system

Increasing levels of a mixture of Ulva spp. produced in an integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (IMTA) system were evaluated in Nile tilapia juveniles for partial replacement of dietary fish meal. A control diet (CTRL) was compared with three experimental diets containing 10 % (U10), 15 % (U15), and 20 % (U20) of Ulva spp. meal. Triplicate groups of fish (13 g initial body weight) were fed each diet for 63 days at 26 °C. Nutrient apparent digestibility coefficients and nitrogen retention efficiency did not vary significantly among diets. By the end of the trial, all groups of fish more than tripled their initial body weight. Specific growth rate and final body weight of U10 diet were similar to CTRL and significantly higher than U15 and U20 diets. Increasing Ulva dietary incorporation levels significantly increased feed conversion ratio (FCR), from 1.0 (CTRL) to 1.4 (U20). Fish fed with U10 diet had the highest protein efficiency ratio and nitrogen retention efficiency allowing this fish to growth and reach a final body weight similar to the CTRL group. Protein content was highest in fish fed with the CTRL diet, whereas the highest lipid content was observed in fish fed with U20 diet. The results show that the incorporation of IMTA-produced Ulva meal in Nile tilapia diets is possible up to 10 % without compromising growth performance, protein utilization, and protein retention of juveniles. The high capacity of Nile tilapia to digest all experimental diets suggests that Ulva meal is a practical partial replacement for fish meal in Nile tilapia diets.

The IMTA-cultivated Chlorophyta Ulva spp. as a sustainable ingredient in Nile tilapia ( Oreochromis niloticus ) diets

This study was designed to determine the effect of complete substitution of fish meal (FM) by three plant protein sources including extruded soybean meal (SBM), extruded full-fat soybean (FFSB) and corn gluten meal (CGM) on growth and feed utilization of Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus and tilapia galilae Sarothrodon galilaeus. Four isonitrogenous of crude protein (ca. 28.0%) and isocaloric (ca. 19 MJ kg−1) experimental diets were formulated. The control diet (diet 1) was prepared with FM as the main protein sources. Diets 2–4, each FM control diet, were completely substituted with SBM (diet 2), FFSB (diet 3) and CGM (diet 4). l-lysine and dl-methionine were added to plant protein diets to cover the nutritional requirements of tilapia. Each treatment was allocated to three net pens and fed for 17 weeks. Nile tilapia fed the control diet showed significantly higher (P≤0.05) values for final body weight (FBW), feed intake (FI), weight gain (WG) and specific growth rate (SGR), whereas fish fed the diet with CGM achieved the lowest values. Tilapia galilae fed SBM diet recorded the highest (P≤0.05) values for growth performance. Better feed conversion ratio (FCR) for both Oreochromis niloticus and Sarothrodon galilaeus was observed when fish were fed SBM diet, whereas the worse FCR was recorded for FFSB diet. Feed utilization parameters including protein productive value (PPV), fat retention (FR) and energy retention (ER) showed significant differences (P≤0.05) for both the species fed different dietary protein sources. The present results suggest that, for Nile tilapia, both SBM and FFSB supplemented with dl-methionine and l-lysine can completely replace dietary FM. Meanwhile, S. galilaeus fed SBM diet exhibited comparable growth and feed utilization with those fish fed a fish-meal-based diet.

Growth performance and feed utilization of Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758) and tilapia galilae Sarotherodon galilaeus (Linnaeus, 1758) fingerlings fed plant protein-based diets

M E Wafa

Papers

Growth performance and feed utilization of Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758) and tilapia galilae Sarotherodon galilaeus (Linnaeus, 1758) fingerlings fed plant protein-based diets