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Apparent digestibility coefficients of dry matter, crude protein, lipid and energy, and amino acids availability in white fish meal, brown fish meal, meat meal, fermented soybean meal, soybean meal and rapeseed meal were determined for loach ( Misgurnus anguillicaudatus) (12.05 ± 0.21 g), using a reference diet with 5 g kg−1 chromic oxide and test diets that contained 700 g kg−1 reference diet, by weight, and 300 g kg−1 of the test feed ingredients. The juvenile loach was held in 300-l tanks at a density of 30 fish per tank. White fish meal, brown fish meal, meat meal and fermented soybean meal had highest apparent digestibility coefficients ( ADCs) of dry matter, crude protein and gross energy among ingredients tested, ranged from 50.4% to 60.9% for dry matter, from 64.6% to 88.4% for crude protein and from 57.9% to 79.0% for gross energy. The apparent digestibility coefficients of dry matter ranged from 61.0% to 66.9% for animal products and 50.4% to 60.7% for plant products. For crude protein, apparent digestibility coefficients of protein exceeding 80% were observed for white fish meal, brown fish meal, meat meal and fermented soybean meal, and the apparent digestibility coefficients of protein in rapeseed meal were the lowest among all the treatments. Lipids from both animal and plant feedstuffs were poorly digested by loach, ranging from 64.0% to 77.6%. The apparent digestibility coefficients of energy were similar to those of dry matter and protein, and the highest and lowest ADCs of energy were found in WFM and RM, respectively. The loach used dietary phosphorus from the animal feedstuffs more efficiently than from plant feedstuffs (soybean meal and rapeseed meal), with ADC-values ranging from 42.3% to 53.1% and from 25.1% to 32.7%, respectively. For the animal products, the availabilities of amino acids in white fish meal and brown fish meal were higher than that in meat meal, expect for Met, Asp, Pro, Gly, and Cys. Among all the plant products, the availabilities of amino acids in fermented soybean meal were higher than in soybean meal and rapeseed meal, and thus had a greater potential to be used as a dietary replacement of fish meal in loach diets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A total of 630 juvenile Chinese sucker, with an average initial weight of 1.72 ± 0.05 g, were fed seven diets for 56 days to study the effect of dietary methionine levels on growth, feed utilization, body composition and haematological parameters on juvenile Chinese sucker. Diet 1 using fish meal as the sole protein source and diets 2-7 using fish meal and fermented soybean meal as intact protein sources supplemented with crystalline amino acids contained six levels of l-methionine ranging from 6.4 to 18.9 g kg−1 of dry diet at a constant dietary cystine level of 3.7 g kg−1. Each diet was randomly assigned to three aquaria. Results indicated that the highest weight gain, specific growth rate ( SGR), feed efficiency ratio, protein efficiency ratio and protein productive value occurred at 13.9 g methionine kg−1 diet among the methionine supplemented dietary groups, beyond which they showed declining tendency. The whole body and muscle protein contents of juvenile Chinese sucker were positively correlated with dietary methionine level, while muscle lipid content was negatively correlated with it. The total essential amino acids content of muscle was increased significantly with increasing dietary methionine level from 6.4 to 13.9 g kg−1 ( P < 0.05). Apparent digestibility coefficients of dietary protein were significantly affected by dietary treatments. Serum protein, cholesterol and triacylglycerol increased with increasing dietary methionine levels, but showed a relatively lower value for fish fed the 18.9 g methionine kg−1 diet. Quadratic regression analysis of SGR against dietary methionine level indicated that optimal dietary methionine requirement for juvenile Chinese sucker was 14.1 g kg−1 of the diet in the presence of 3.7 g kg−1 cystine (corresponding to 32.0 g kg−1 of dietary protein on a dry-weight basis). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two feeding experiments were conducted to evaluate the potential of fermented soybean meal ( FSBM), corn gluten meal ( CGM) and cottonseed meal ( CSM) with or without lysine ( L) and iron ( Fe) to replace fish meal ( FM) in practical diets of juvenile Chinese sucker. In experiment I, four experimental diets (430 g kg−1 crude protein on dry matter basis) were formulated. Diet containing FM as the main protein source was used as a control ( Diet 1). Diets 2-4 had 300 g kg−1 FM protein replaced with FSBM, CGM or CSM protein without iron or lysine supplement. Fish (average weight, 1.82 ± 0.01 g) were hand-fed twice daily for 8 weeks. In experiment II, juvenile Chinese sucker (average weight, 3.40 ± 0.08 g) were fed one of five experimental diets twice daily for 8 weeks. Diet 1 in experiment I was used as a control and Diet 4 in experiment I, with ferrous sulphate, with lysine or with both ferrous sulphate and lysine were used as the experimental diets (designated as FM, CSM, CSM+ Fe, CSM+ L and CSM+ Fe& L, respectively). Results from the two feeding trials indicated that about 300 g kg−1 of FM protein can be replaced by FSBM, CGM or CSM with lysine supplement in Chinese sucker diets without adversely affecting growth. CSM with iron could not improve the growth performance. CSM without lysine supplement significantly affected the growth performance, body composition and digestive enzyme activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study was designed to investigate the influence of fermented soybean meal ( FSBM) on the growth and feed utilization of juvenile Chinese sucker, Myxocyprinus asiaticus. Seven isonitrogenous and isolipidic diets were formulated with 0%, 15%, 25%, 35%, 45%, 55% or 65% replacement of fish meal with FSBM on a protein basis. Each diet was fed to three replicate groups of fish with an initial weight 4.59 ± 0.2 g for 8 weeks. Weight gain ( WG) and specific growth rate ( SGR) was significantly lower when FSBM inclusion was 391 g kg−1 or greater, replacing more than 45% fish meal protein. A significant negative relationship was observed between growth response and the level of fish meal protein replacement with FSBM. Methionine and Lysine content decreased as FSBM inclusion levels increased, consequently compromising growth performance. Feed intake ( FI) were unaffected by dietary FSBM levels. The feed conversion ratio ( FCR) of fish fed D-0, D-15, D-25 and D-35 diets was significantly lower than those fed other diets. The protein efficiency ratio ( PER) was highest at the lowest FSBM inclusion level. Experimental diets D-0, D-15, D-25 and D-35 had apparent dry matter digestibility ranging from 71.2% to 72.6% and apparent protein digestibility ( ADPs) from 89.1% to 90.1%, while the diets with higher FSBM inclusion ( D-45 to D-65) had a significantly lower apparent dry matter digestibility range (69.7-70.3%) and ADPs range (88.5-88.9%). It is concluded that FSBM is an acceptable alternative plant protein source that can replace up to 35% of fish meal protein in diets without significant adverse effects on growth, survival, FCR, PER and body composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Six isonitrogenous diets (420 g kg−1 crude protein on dry matter basis) with six levels of soybean meal ( SBM) inclusion (0, 112, 225, 336, 449 and 560 g kg−1) in substitution of fish meal (0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80% and 100%) were evaluated in Chinese sucker of 1.81 ± 0.01 g initial weight for 8 weeks. There existed a significant difference ( P < 0.001) in fish weight gain, feed conversion ratio, feed intake, protein efficiency ratio and specific growth rate when the replacement level for fish meal protein was increased from 40% to 60%, indicating that up to 40% of fish meal protein could be replaced with SBM protein without causing reduction in growth and protein utilization. Lipid contents in the Chinese sucker body decreased significantly ( P < 0.001) as dietary SBM increased. Digestive enzyme activities in the intestine and hepatopancreas of the fish were significantly different ( P < 0.001) as the SBM protein replacement level was increased. Results of the present study appear to indicate that 40% FM can be replaced by SBM in practical feeds of Chinese sucker. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]