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Filamentous fungi are well-known for their ability to form mycelial pellets during submerged cultures, a characteristic that has been extensively studied and applied. However, Monascus, a filamentous saprophytic fungus with a rich history of medicinal and culinary applications, has not been widely documented for pellet formation. This study aimed to investigate the factors influencing pellet formation in Monascus and their impact on citrinin production, a key secondary metabolite. Through systematic exploration, we identified pH and inoculum size as critical factors governing pellet formation. Monascus exhibited optimal pellet growth within the acidic pH range from 5 to 6, resulting in smaller, more homogeneous pellets with lower citrinin content. Additionally, we found that inoculum size played a vital role, with lower spore concentrations favoring the formation of small, uniformly distributed pellets. The choice of carbon and nitrogen sources also influenced pellet stability, with glucose, peptone, and fishmeal supporting stable pellet formation. Notably, citrinin content was closely linked to pellet diameter, with larger pellets exhibiting higher citrinin levels. Our findings shed light on optimizing Monascus pellet formation for enhanced citrinin production and provide valuable insights into the cultivation of this fungus for various industrial applications. Further research is warranted to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying these observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During a piglet rearing period of 35 days, the influence of the protein source (animal or vegetable protein) on biological performance, health and animal behavior was examined with a total of 592 piglets (78% docked, 22% undocked piglets) in 4 consecutive trails. Compared to the control, the use of poultry meal led to better feed acceptance and an increased growth rate of the piglets. In fish and poultry meal test groups, fewer piglets suffering from diarrhea were observed compared to control groups feeded with plant based feeds. Animal behavior was also positively influenced by feeding animal protein, analogous to intestinal health. The animals in the test groups showed significantly more resting and normal behavior than to the control animals. At the same time, fewer tail necrosis were observed, especially in undocked piglets. By feeding animal-based protein feeds, the general occurrence of tail injuries could not be avoided, but serious tail injuries (category 3, 4) could be prevented. The use of high-quality animal protein sources can be regarded as a building block on the way to avoid tail docking of piglets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermal fluctuations in two-dimensional (2D) isotropy systems at non-zero finite temperatures can destroy the long-range (LR) magnetic order due to the mechanisms addressed in the Mermin-Wanger theory. However, the magnetic anisotropy related to spin–orbit coupling (SOC) may stabilize magnetic order in 2D systems. Very recently, 2D FexGeTe2 (3 ≤ x ≤ 7) with a high Curie temperature (TC) has not only undergone significant developments in terms of synthetic methods and the control of ferromagnetism (FM), but is also being actively explored for applications in various devices. In this review, we introduce six experimental methods, ten ferromagnetic modulation strategies, and four spintronic devices for 2D FexGeTe2 materials. In summary, we outline the challenges and potential research directions in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present investigation, we endeavored to elucidate the ramifications of substituting fishmeal (FM) with fiber-devoid pea peels protein source with concentrations of 15 and 25% on various physiological parameters of the Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus. A total of 120 O. niloticus fingerlings were meticulously categorized into three distinct quartile replicates, each encompassing 10 piscine subjects within a 50-liter aquarium setting. The dietary regimens administered during this experimental phase encompassed: A control group devoid of any FM substitution, T15 featuring a 15% pea meal concentration and T25 with a 25% concentration. The data presented here indicate that varying amounts of pea byproduct in the diet of Oreochromis niloticus had no noticeable effect on water quality variables. Treatment groups (T15 and T25, fed with 15 and 25% pea byproduct, respectively) had considerably better growth performance characteristics than the control group, including final weight and weight increase. However, there was no statistically significant difference between the values of DWG and SGR (daily weight gain). The values of food conversion ratio (FCR), feeding efficiency (FE) and protein efficiency ratio (PER) were significantly varied at partial replacement of fishmeal by 15% pea byproduct (T15) compared to the control group. The hematological parameters and the proximate body composition showed no significant differences across all groups. These results intimated that the inclusion of pea meals as an alternative protein source can be seamlessly integrated into the dietary regimen of the Nile tilapia without engendering adverse physiological consequences. Such revelations offer invaluable academic insights into the potential incorporation of plant-derived protein sources in aquaculture, thereby proffering implications for sustainable pisciculture methodologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the effects of dietary 6‐phytase, produced by a genetically modified Komagataella phaffii, on growth performance, feed utilisation, flesh quality, villus morphometric properties, and intestinal mRNA expression in rainbow trout. Six iso‐nitrogenous, iso‐lipidic, and iso‐caloric diets were formulated and fed to triplicate groups of juvenile rainbow trout weighing 32.57 ± 0.36 g (mean ± SD) for 90 days. The dietary treatments included two positive controls (PC), one formulated with 400 g/kg of fish meal named T1, and the other formulated with 170 g/kg of fish meal plus 1% avP derived from monocalcium phosphate named T2. The remaining dietary treatments consisted of a negative control (NC) formulated with 170 g/kg of fish meal (T3), NC+ 750, NC+ 1500, and NC+ 3000 OTU/kg levels of phytase designated as T4, T5, and T6 diets respectively. Compared to T1, weight gain (WG) increased by 16.29, 13.71 and 11.66% in T4, T5 and T6, respectively (p < 0.05). Feed conversion ratio (FCR) was lowered by 3.2 and 0.8% in T4 and T5 compared to T1 (p < 0.05). WG, feed intake (FI), FCR, final body length, bone ash, bone ash P, and intestinal morphometry were negatively affected in T3 fed fish (p < 0.05). Whole‐body fish nutrient, bone ash, bone ash phosphorus (P) compositions and mucosal villus morphometric properties improved in rainbow trout fed diets supplemented with phytase dose ranging from 750–3000 OTU. Bone ash increased by 6.12% in T5 compared to T1 (p < 0.05). Phytase inclusion enhanced the profitability of feeding juvenile rainbow trout such diets as it reduced the feed price and economic conversion rate. Dietary inclusion of phytase down‐regulated mRNA expression of genes responsible for fatty acid synthesis and lipogenesis in juvenile rainbow trout. Dietary phytase up‐regulated the mRNA expression of genes (SLC4A11 and ATP1A3A) responsible for nutrient uptake and down‐regulated intestinal expression of MUCIN 5AC—like genes (mucus secreting genes) in juvenile rainbow trout. Along with improving performance parameters, the inclusion of phytase in rainbow trout diet containing plant‐based protein sources, can preserve intestinal morphology by regulating the mRNA expression of genes responsible for fatty acid synthesis, lipogenesis and nutrient uptake and transport. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research evaluated the viability of completely and partially replacing the protein of fishmeal (FM) with the protein of poultry by-product meal (PBM) for juvenile Nile tilapia fish. One hundred and eighty unsexed Nile tilapia fish have been randomly assigned to four treatment groups, with three replicates including 15 Nile tilapia fish in each replicate stocked in 12 glass aquaria for nine weeks. PBM incorporation levels in the diet at 50% (G2), 75% (G3), and 100% (G4) protein content of fish meal substituted for the fish meal-based control diet have been compared (100% fish meal, G1). The final body weight (FBW), body weight gain (BWG), specific growth rate (SGR), and protein efficiency ratio (PER) varied considerably across all treatment groups (p> 0.05). FBW, BWG, SGR, and PER were improved for fish fed PBM and were superior in the high level of PBM (G4). However, the morphometric indexes showed no significant differences (p > 0.05). Fat & ash % of body composition was higher in all groups containing PBM in particular (G4) as compared with the control one. In conclusion, it can be said that a full replacement PBM protein for FM protein is tolerable in Nile tilapia fish. Several changes in biochemical parameters and antioxidant status markers were observed. The histological exam of the liver in all groups that contained PBM revealed no abnormalities. However, replacing 75% of the protein of FM with PBM's protein is the optimal degree in term of maintaining meat quality and some of the blood parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, the functional effects of hydrolyzable tannins (HT) extracted from the sweet chestnut tree Castanea sativa were evaluated either by directly incorporating them into the diet or by using a top-dressing application on the growth, body composition, total hemocyte counts, lysozyme activity, and histomorphological condition of the hepatopancreas of Pacific white shrimp Penaeus vannamei. Shrimp was confined in hapa nets installed within commercial outdoor ponds for 90 days. Eight experimental diets included a basal formulated diet (BD) with varying inclusion levels of HT (BD-0%, BD-0.1%, BD-0.2%, and BD-0.3%), a low fish meal (FM) diet with reduction on the inclusion level of FM from 10% to 7.5% and labeled as LFM 0.3% HT, a top-dressing HT application (TC) on basal diet (BDTD-0.4% HT), and a commercial diet (CDTD-0% HT and CDTD-0.4% HT). The final body weight (FBW), percentage weight gain (PWG), thermal growth coefficient (TGC), average daily growth (ADG), and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were significantly better in the group of shrimp fed with BD-0.3% HT compared to BD-0% HT. The administration of CD-0.4% HT was able to enhance the growth performance of shrimp compared to BD-0% HT and CD without HT. Higher protein and fat contents were found in the body of shrimp fed with graded levels of HT compared to shrimp fed with BD or CD without HT. Numerically, the direct inclusion and top-dressing process of HT increased the total hemocyte count and lysozyme activity in shrimp. Both BDTD-0.4% HT and CDTD-0.4% HT were also able to support a better hepatopancreatic condition with reference to histomorphology and integrity. These results indicated that BD-0.3% HT inclusion could significantly improve the growth performance and prevent the alteration in health and histomorphological condition of the hepatopancreas of shrimp P. vannamei cultured in hapa nets under commercial farm conditions, but also 0.4% HT could be used as a supplementation dosage for the top-dressing process in diets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aquaculture industry has been criticised for the excessive use of fish meal (FM) in feeds due to the utilisation of wild fish in the formulation and the exacerbation of overfishing marine resources. Land-based abalone aquaculture mainly uses commercial feeds (CFs) to promote faster growth, which include FM as a primary protein component. Alternative ingredients, such as insect meal (IM) and grape marc (GM) are potential candidates for FM replacement due to their suitable nutritional profile and sustainable production. This paper reports on a novel nutritional approach for the New Zealand farmed abalone, which replaces FM with IM by 10% and includes a waste by-product (GM) by 30% as a potential prebiotic source. The study was performed in two stages: (a) physico-chemical determination of diets delivered in an alginate matrix (experimental diets) and their stability in seawater compared to CF and (b) evaluation of growth and feed intake for the New Zealand black-foot abalone. There were significant differences between experimental diets and CF in terms of sinking rate, particle weight, and microscopic observations. Water stability of the experimental diets was increased by 50% in 24 and 48 hr compared to CF, producing less solid waste, and potentially reducing cleaning efforts in the farm. The inclusion of IM and GM did not compromise overall animal growth or their feed conversion ratio, however, further evaluation need to be explored in the future research. The findings revealed that the developed encapsulated feeds are a more stable food delivery method for Haliotis iris compared to the CF. Furthermore, both IM and GM can be included in feed formulations as a more sustainable strategy without compromising weight and shell gains in the abalone farming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Terrestrial compound protein (Cpro) can be potentially used to replace fishmeal (FM) in the marine carnivorous teleost, golden pompano (Trachinotus ovatus). Four isonitrogenous (45%) and isolipidic (12%) diets named FM30, AP80, PP80, and CP80 were formulated. FM30 (control) contained 30% FM and 25% basic protein, while AP80, PP80, and CP80 only contained 6% FM, where 80% FM and 25% basic protein of control diet were completely replaced by animal protein, plant protein, and Cpro, respectively. After golden pompano juveniles (initial weight: 10.32 ± 0.09 g) were, respectively, fed the four diets in floating sea cages for 10 weeks, the growth performance, intestinal digestive enzyme activity, and immune responses, protein metabolism indices of the CP80 group were similar to or better than those of the FM30 group (P > 0.05), and significantly better than those of the AP80 and PP80 groups. Specifically, the weight gain (WG), feed conversion ratio (FCR), activity of alanine transaminase (ALT), growth hormone (GH), and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) contents of serum, mRNA level of interleukin-10 (il-10), zonula occludens-2 (zo-2), claudin-3, claudin-12, and eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4G (eif4g) were significantly higher, and the activity of α-amylase (AMS), lipase (LPS) in the foregut and midgut, interleukin-8 (il-8) expression in the intestine was significantly lower than that in the CP80 group, compared with those in AP80 and PP80 groups (P < 0.05). Moreover, the intestinal microflora composition of golden pompano fed with the CP80 diet was improved. Specifically, at the phylum level, the relative abundance of harmful bacterial strains cyanobacteria and TM7 of CP80 group was similar to those of FM30 group (P > 0.05), but was significantly lower than those of AP80 and PP80 groups (P < 0.05). At the genus level, the beneficial bacterial strains Agrobacterium and Blantia of CP80 group were also similar to those of FM30 group (P < 0.05), which were significantly higher than those of AP80 and PP80 groups, but the beneficial bacterial strains Bifidobacterium and Devosia of CP80 group were significantly higher than that in the other groups (P < 0.05). Besides, in diet CP80, the contents of amino acids and anti-nutritional factor, as well as the in vitro digestion rate were comparable to those of FM30, and the anti-nutritional factor content was between AP80 and PP80; total essential amino acids (EAAs) and methionine contents were higher than those in AP80, the glycine content was higher than that in PP80. Taken together, these results indicated that the CP80 diet had better amino acid composition and relatively low content of anti-nutritional factors, as well as high-digestion rate, and thus leads to the fish fed CP80 displaying improved effects in digestive enzyme activity, immune response, protein metabolism, and intestinal microbiota composition, which may be the important reasons to explain why that 80% of FM can be replaced by Cpro in the diet of golden pompano. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since per capita global meat utilization is predicted to increase to 40% from 2019 to 2050, global use of cultivable land in livestock, poultry, and feed production is 30%. Use of alternative protein sources as animal feed can be a solution to minimize cropland usage in conventional feed production. Commonly used protein sources in animal diets like soybean meal and fish meal are facing challenges of high demand, but the current production might not fulfill their dire need. To overcome this issue, the discovery of alternative protein sources is the need of the hour, insect meals like black soldier fly (BSF) are one of these alternative protein sources. These flies are non-infectious, bite-less, can convert the variant types of organic waste (food wastes, animal and human excreta) proficiently into rich profile biomass with reduced harmful bacteria count and do not serve as a vector in disease transmission. Based on the substrate used, the BSF larvae protein, fat and ash contents vary from 37 to 63%, 7 to 39% and 9 to 28% on dry matter basis, respectively. Previous studies have reported using BSF and its by-products as alternative protein sources in broiler diets with partial or complete replacement of conventional protein sources. In this review, a brief introduction to insect meal, BSF origin, life cycle, nutritional profile, influences on growth performance, carcass characteristics, fatty acid profile of meat, biochemical properties of blood, gut morphology and microbiota of the caecum along with its influence on laying performance of layers has been discussed in detail. Studies have concluded the partial replacement of conventional protein sources with BSF is possible, whereas complete replacement may cause poor performance due to reduced digestibility up to 62% attributable to chitin content (9.6%). Further studies to corroborate the effect of dietary BSF on growth performance, carcass characteristics, fatty acid profile of meat, and gut morphology and caecum microbiota are required to standardize the inclusion levels in feeds for higher performance of poultry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Aquaculture has been challenged to explore alternative proteins to develop efficient feed formulations that foster a sustainable future growth. Largemouth bass (LMB) are economically important cultured fish with a high demand for protein. One of the traditional ingredients used to develop protein diets is fish meal (FM). With the aquaculture industry expanding, the FM price climbs with broadening the imbalance between the supply and requirement. Hence, there is a requisite to explore novel alternative proteins sources. In this review, we summarised recent knowledge about the alternative sources of proteins with potential to partially or fully substitute FM in LMB feed and the shortcomings of present alternative proteins. We also highlight the challenges faced for LMB feed in the substitution of FM with alternative proteins, which need more in‐depth investigations in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Chicken gut meal (CGM) is reasonably priced and rich in nutrients and can become a new source of protein in the diets of major aquatic products, such as fish and shrimp. Methods: An 8‐week feeding trial was conducted to comprehensively investigate the beneficial effects of CGM on juvenile Fat Greenling Hexagrammos otakii. Juveniles (1.58 ± 0.06 g [mean ± SE]) were fed with different levels of CGM in replacement of fish meal (FM) in the basal diet: 0% (CGM0), 25% (CGM25), 50% (CGM50), 75% (CGM75), and 100% (CGM100) replacement, representing a dietary CGM level of up to 40 g/kg. Result: The results showed that the percent weight gain; specific growth rate; feeding rate; feed conversion ratio; hepatosomatic index; and apparent digestibility coefficients of dry matter, protein, and lipid were significantly improved among the experimental groups. Moreover, the activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase were significantly increased in the CGM25 and CGM50 groups, respectively. The activities of acid phosphatase and alkaline phosphatase were significantly decreased in the CGM75 and CGM100 groups. Triglycerides and total cholesterol were significantly increased in the CGM50 and CGM75 groups, respectively. Fish in the CGM100 and CGM75 groups had significantly higher activities of aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase than the control. Moreover, the relative expression levels of the fatty acid synthase and acetyl‐coenzyme A carboxylase alpha genes were significantly increased in the CGM75 and CGM100 groups, while the gene expression levels of hormone‐sensitive lipase and peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor alpha were significantly decreased. Conclusion: In summary, the optimal replacement level of FM with CGM was shown by curve equation analysis to be 61.30%, and their dosages were 24.52 and 15.48 g/kg, respectively. Impact statementChicken gut meal, a major terrestrial animal protein source that is rich in high levels of proteins and lipids, can be used as a good substitute for fish meal in fish diets. The price of chicken gut meal is much lower than fish meal, reducing costs. Also, the reduction of fish meal use can restore the diversity and stability of marine fish stocks. Therefore, the use of chicken meal is important for people's health and well‐being as well as the sustainable development of marine fisheries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The primary objective of this study was to determine how soy products affect Burbot Lota lota maculosa growth and gastric evacuation. The secondary objective was to determine the digestibility of common soy products in Burbot. Methods: A 130‐day feed study was conducted with subadult (grow‐out stage) Burbot to evaluate performance with 25% of the dietary fish meal replaced with soybean meal or soy protein concentrate compared with a control diet formulated to resemble a salmonid diet. Additionally, diets from the feed study, along with chironomid meal (a natural forage item), were used to determine Burbot gastric evacuation rates using fish naive to soy. These diets, containing over 12% soy, were applied to fish from the same cohort of Burbot used in the initial feed study. A digestibility assessment was conducted using diets with 30% of the fish meal replaced with soybean meal, soy protein concentrate, and a fermented soybean meal. Result: No differences in growth performance were observed. The gastric evacuation assessment revealed that soy protein concentrate was evacuated at a significantly higher rate than chironomid meal; however, no other differences in gastric evacuation rates among diets were detectable. Apparent digestibility of protein was significantly higher in the soybean meal, soy protein concentrate, and fermented soybean meal treatments relative to the control diet. Apparent lipid digestibility was significantly lower in the soybean meal diet relative to the control diet; however, neither diet was significantly different from the soy protein concentrate or fermented soybean meal treatments. Conclusion: Soy protein is highly digestible in grow‐out‐stage Burbot, these fish can be produced to market size on diets with ≥25% of the fish meal (relative to the experimental control diet) replaced with soybean meal or soy protein concentrate with no impact on growth performance relative to a salmonid diet formulation. Impact statementFor the aquaculture industry to continue to grow in a sustainable fashion, and meet consumer demand, more sustainable alternatives to fish meal must be identified. In this article we demonstrate that grow‐out stage Burbot can be produced to market size with at least 25% of the fish meal, relative to the trout‐like control diet, replaced with soybean meal or soy protein concentrate with no impact on growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of nutritional programming on growth and hematological indices of sterlet sturgeon (Acipenser ruthenus) during the larval stage by partial replacement of fish meal (FM) with soybean meal (S). Fish with initial mean weight of 0.32 ± 0.01 g were randomly distributed into twelve circular concrete tanks (260 fish per each tank) and fed four experimental diets with substitution levels of 0 (control/FM), 15% (S15), 30% (S30) and 45% (S45) of fish meal with soybean meal during three phases in three replicates. In phase 1 (programming), fish were fed four different diets for 28 days. All the groups were then fed with FM during intermediate phases and S45 at final phase (challenge) for 28 days. At the end of each phase, growth indices were measured. Hematological indices including hemoglobin, hematocrit, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration were assessed at the end of the challenge phase. The growth performance was not significantly different in either programming or intermediate phases (P > 0.05); however, final weight, weight gain, specific growth rate, and average daily growth were significantly higher in S45 than FM during phase 3 (P < 0.05). In intermediate phase, feed conversation ratio was significantly reduced in FM than the other treatments (P < 0.05). Moreover, no significant difference was indicated among the groups in hematological indices (P > 0.05). According to the obtained results, early nutritional programming could effectively enhance the adaptation of sterlet sturgeon to plant-based protein later in life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MP contamination in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of Prussian carp (Carassius gibelio) used in fishmeal production was examined. The samples were collected from Balık Lake, Karaboğaz Lake, and Liman Lake located in Kızılırmak Delta, Türkiye. The overall average abundance was 3.20±0.18 MP per fish and 0.036±0.002 MP per g. No significant correlation was determined between the MP abundance in the fish, fish length, and fish weight. The polymers were composed of 56.91% PET, 25.20% PP, 9.76% PE, and 8.13% PA. The determined shapes were fiber (78.0%), fragment (13.46%), and film (8.54%). The size ranged between 112 and 4775 μm with an average of 1341.41±66.07 μm. Depending on the occurrence frequency and abundance, it can be concluded that Carassius gibelio can be considered a MP vector in fishmeal. The results provide an essential baseline for future MP studies on the potential effects of MPs on aquatic organisms, fate, and impact on the fishmeal production process, aquaculture practices, and human health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing human population and improved living standards in developing countries have led to a higher demand for animal proteins, which has resulted in increased costs of animal feed ingredients such as fish meal, fish oil, soybean meal, and cereals. The global economic slowdown, has further compounded this challenge, making it crucial for the animal production industry to find innovative methods to secure future social, environmental and economic needs. Black soldier fly (BSF) larvae have emerged as a promising nutrient alternative due to their high protein and fat contents and a rich source of vitamins and minerals comparable to soybean and fish meal. Black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) has the potential to reduce the cost of chicken feed formulations by partially replacing soybean and/or fish meals. This is one of the primary reasons why insects like BSF are seen as viable alternative protein sources for animal feeds. This review attempts to assess the challenges faced by the poultry industry and strategies to overcome feeding issues through the use of BSFL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tea tree oil (TTO) is an essential plant oil with diverse antibacterial and antioxidant properties; however, whether the role played by TTO in low fish meal (LF) diets induced the observed effects in the farmed crustaceans remains unclear. Therefore, this study used Macrobrachium rosenbergii as the model crustacean, and an 8-week feeding experiment with NF (normal fish meal), LF (soybean meal replacing 40% fish meal), and LFT (LF with 200 mg/kg TTO) diets was conducted to evaluate the positive effects of TTO under the LF diet. Compared to the NF diet, the LF diet reduced hemolymph antioxidant capacity and non-specific immunity, and induced hepatopancreas apoptosis and damage. However, in comparison with LF, LTF significantly ameliorated morphological impairment in the hepatopancreas, improved hepatopancreas energy metabolism by upregulating the Bcl-2/Bax and Akt/mTOR pathways, and enhanced antioxidant and non-specific immune capacity by activating the NF-κB/NO pathway. In addition, LFT repaired intestinal barrier injury and the imbalance of intestinal microbiota induced by the LF diet. Moreover, the Pearson correlation revealed the variations of the above indicators, which were related to the abundance changes of Klebsiella, Clostridium sensu stricto 12, Thermobifida, Bifidobacterium, and Alistipes, indicating that these microbes might serve as prospective targets for the intestine–hepatopancreas axis to affect hepatopancreas apoptosis, metabolism, and non-specific immunity. In summary, 200 mg/kg TTO supplementation mediated gut microbiota and positively improved energy metabolism and non-specific immunity, thereby alleviating hepatopancreas dysplasia and damage induced by the LF diet in M. rosenbergii. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of dried porcine soluble (DPS) supplementation on replacement of dietary fish meal with soy protein concentrate (SPC) for large yellow croaker, Larimichthys crocea, was assessed in a feeding trial conducted in inshore net pens. Five isoproteic and isolipidic diets were tested. A basal diet (BD) contained 400 g/kg fish meal, and SPC was used as an alternative ingredient to replace 40% (F24) and 60% (F16) of the fish meal in BD at an equal protein basis. DPS was added at 5 g/kg in F24 (FD24) and F16 (FD16). Fish weighing 33.6 ± 7.4 g were fed with the test diets in 1.5 × 1.5 × 2 m net pens for 9 weeks. The fish meal replacement level significantly affected weight gain, feed conversion ratio, phosphorus retention efficiency, body phosphorus content, and ratio of fish meal consumption to fish production (RCP), while the DPS supplementation level significantly affected weight gain. The weight gain of fish fed FD24 was higher than that of fish fed F16, while no significant difference was found in weight gain between fish fed BD and fish fed FD24, F24, FD16 and F16. The feed cost, RCP and phosphorus waste of fish fed BD were higher than those of fish fed FD24, F24, FD16 and F16. Fish fed FD24 exhibited the best production performance, and the production performance of fish fed F24 and FD16 was close to that of fish fed BD. The present study indicates that the fish meal level in large yellow croaker diet could be lowered to 240 g/kg with SPC alone as a fish meal substitute, and could be further reduced to 160 g/kg by supplementation of 5 g/kg DPS. Therefore, DPS supplementation can benefit to increase fish meal replacement with SPC in large yellow croaker diet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 12‐week growth experiment was conducted to evaluate the suitability of Azolla cristata as a fish meal (FM) substitute in diets for Cyprinus carpio var. communis fingerlings. Six iso‐nitrogenous and isocaloric (16.17 kJ/g GE) diets were formulated to contain 42% crude protein and each treatment had three replicates. The mean initial weight of the fish was 3.4 ± 0.2 g. Graded levels of A. cristata 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50% in the diets were fed to the fish in triplicate groups, respectively. No significant (p > 0.05) differences in growth performance of fish‐fed diets containing 10% and control (0%) inclusion levels were seen. However, further increase in Azolla meal (AM) supplementation resulted in gradual decline in growth performance of fish in terms of live weight gain, specific growth rate, feed conversion ratio, and protein efficiency ratio. All hematological parameters had a linear declining trend as the proportion of AM in diet was increased. Protein content of fish was found significantly (p < 0.05) reduced in fish‐fed higher inclusion of AM. Serum biochemical parameters were also noted to reduce with increasing inclusion of AM, except for glucose, cholesterol, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST). On the basis of results obtained in the present study, it is recommended that 10% Azolla meal can be included in the practical diets for C. carpio var. communis fingerlings as partial replacement for fishmeal without affecting their growth, feed efficiency, and fish quality for the intensive culture of this fish species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The cost of poultry feed directly impacts production yield. The search for feed formulations based on less expensive products is, therefore, an alternative to improve the profits of producers. This study was conducted in Maradi at the Regional Center for Agronomic Research of the National Institute of Agronomic Research of Niger to assess the effect of roasted Faidherbia albida pods on the zootechnical performance of Isa Brown laying chickens. Materials and methods: A total of 200 Isa Brown laying chickens, aged 21 weeks, were randomly assigned to four feeding groups with five replicates each. The chickens were housed in a 5 m × 10 m building, with 10 chickens per replicate in blocks of 1.71 m². The building featured ventilation, natural lighting, and bedding made from peanut shells. Apart from the control feed (F0), the experimental feeds contained 5% (F5), 10% (F10), and 15% (F15) crushed pods of Faidherbia albida roasted at 110°C. Millet and wheat bran were the main energy sources, while fishmeal and groundnut cake provided protein. Water was provided ad libitum to all chickens. The feed was distributed over 2 months. Results: The results showed that feed ingestion increased significantly with F10 compared to the control, while consumption remained comparable among the control, F15, and F5 groups. The incorporation of roasted Faidherbia albida pods led to a significant decrease in the feed conversion ratio, with a significant difference among the treatments. The best feed conversion ratio was obtained with the F5, followed by the control. Conclusion: The inclusion of Faidherbia albida in the chicken diet is beneficial for egg production. The optimal incorporation rate for roasted pods of Faidherbia albida was determined to be 10%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

White bass (Morone chrysops) are a popular sportfish throughout the southern United States, and one parent of the commercially-successful hybrid striped bass (M. chrysops ♂ x M. saxatilis ♀). Currently, white bass are cultured using diets formulated for other carnivorous fish, such as largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) or hybrid striped bass and contain a significant percentage of marine fish meal. Since there are no studies regarding the utilization of alternative proteins in this species, we evaluated the global gene expression of white bass fed diets in which fish meal was partially or totally replaced by various combinations of soybean meal, poultry by-product meal, canola meal, soy protein concentrate, wheat gluten, or a commercial protein blend (Pro-Cision™). Six isonitrogenous (40% protein), isolipidic (11%), and isocaloric (17.1 kJ/g) diets were formulated to meet the known nutrient and energy requirements of largemouth bass and hybrid striped bass using nutrient availability data for most of the dietary ingredients. One of the test diets consisted exclusively of plant protein sources. Juvenile white bass (40.2 g initial weight) were stocked into a flow-through aquaculture system (three tanks/diet; 10 fish/tank) and fed the test diets twice daily to satiation for 60 days. RNA sequencing and bioinformatic analyses revealed significant differentially expressed genes between all test diets when compared to fish meal control. A total of 1,260 differentially expressed genes were identified, with major ontology relating to cell cycle and metabolic processes as well as immune gene functions. This data will be useful as a resource for future refinements to moronid diet formulation, as marine fish meal becomes limiting and plant ingredients are increasingly added as a reliable protein source.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of incorporating black soldier fly (BSF) larvae and its processed form as an alternative source of protein to fish meal (FM) on the digestibility of amino acids (AA) in weaned pigs. Four cannulated pigs with an initial bodyweight of 13.25 ± 0.25 kg and aged 30 days were subjected to a 4 × 4 Latin square design with three treatments, as well as a nitrogen-free treatment. The diets used for each treatment consisted of a FM diet, a diet containing BSF larvae meal (BSFM), and a diet containing extruded BSF (BSFE). The study was conducted over four stages, with a total duration of 28 days. The apparent ileal digestibility (AID) of protein was higher in the FM treatment compared with the BSFM. Among essential AA, the AID of Arg, His, Leu, and Thr were higher in the FM compared with the BSFM and BSFE. A greater AID of Ile and Phe was observed in pigs in the FM treatment compared with the BSFM. The average AA digestibility did not show any difference between treatments. Among non-essential AA, the AID of Ala (p = 0.054) and Glu (p = 0.064) tended to be increased in the FM compared with the BSFM. Among essential AA, the standardized ileal digestibility (SID) of Arg, His, Ile, and Leu were higher in the FM compared with the BSFM. Among non-essential AA, the SID of Cys (p = 0.074) tended to be increased in the FM compared with the BSFM. In conclusion, the processing and thermal conditioning techniques utilized for BSF larvae meal showed a tendency for increased AA digestibility. Therefore, when formulating a diet, it is important to take into account the difference in AA digestibility between FM and BSFM.

This study investigated the effects of using soy protein concentrate (SPC) to replace animal protein supplements on mucosa-associated microbiota, intestinal health, and growth performance of nursery pigs. Fifty-six newly weaned pigs (BW = 6.4 ± 0.6 kg) were allotted to 5 treatments in a randomized complete block design. Pigs were fed for 35 d in 3 phases (P; 1, 2, 3) for 10, 12, 13 d, respectively. Dietary treatments were: (1) basal diet with fish meal (P1: 4%, P2: 2%, and P3: 1%), poultry meal (P1: 10%, P2: 8%, and P3: 4%), and blood plasma (P1: 4%, P2: 2%, and P3: 1%), where SPC replacing none (NC); (2) basal diet with SPC replacing fish meal (RFM); (3) basal diet with SPC replacing poultry meal (RPM); (4) basal diet with SPC replacing blood plasma (RBP); and (5) basal diet with SPC replacing all animal protein supplements (PC). Growth performance was recorded for each phase. Pigs were euthanized on d 35 to collect jejunal mucosa and tissue to evaluate intestinal health and microbiota, and ileal digesta to measure apparent ileal digestibility (AID) of nutrients. Data were analyzed using the MIXED procedure of SAS. Overall, RFM, RPM, and RBP did not affect growth performance, whereas PC decreased (P

A twelve-week feeding experiment was undertaken to explore the impact of substituting dietary fish meal (FM) and fish oil (FO) with complex protein (CP) and canola oil (CO) in the diet of triploid rainbow trout on the quality of their fillets. The control diet (F100) contained FM (60%) and FO (18.6%) as the main protein and lipid sources. Based on this, 50% and 100% of FM and FO were substituted by CP and CO and they were named as F50 and F0, respectively. The results showed that there were no significant differences in the specific growth rates, condition factors, gutted yields, fillet yields and yellowness values as the substitution levels increased (p > 0.05). The F50 treatment obtained the highest values of fillet springiness and chewiness, improved the umami and bitter taste of the fillets by increasing the contents of inosine-5′-monophosphate and histidine, and increased lipid, protein, C18: 1n-9 and C18: 2n-6 contents (p < 0.05). The F0 treatment obtained the highest values of fillet hardness and pH, attenuated the sweet taste of the fillets by decreasing the content of glycine, and decreased the contents of EPA and DHA (p < 0.05). Both F50 and F0 treatments could increase the redness value, decrease the lightness and hue values of fillets, and increase the odor intensity, resulting in the typical fillet odors of green, fatty, orange and fishy (p < 0.05). In general, 50% and 100% of FM and FO substitution did not affect the growth of trout, but it did affect quality. Compared to the F100 treatment, the fillet quality of the F0 treatment was similar to the F50 treatment and could improve the appearance and odor intensity of the fillets. However, the difference was that the F50 treatment increased the springiness, umami, bitterness and lipid nutritional value of the fillets, but the F0 treatment increased the hardness, decreased the sweetness, and decreased the lipid, EPA and DHA contents of the fillets.

Shrimp feed formulations have moved towards less fish meal and more of the readily available and cheaper plant proteins. To counteract the lower attractiveness and palatability of plant proteins, feeds are supplemented with ingredients known to have chemoattractive properties that will increase feed intake. This study investigated the putative chemoattractive effect of Calanus finmarchicus hydrolysate, when used as a dietary supplement in shrimp feeds. C. finmarchicus is a zooplankton species native to the northern Atlantic Ocean and is a novel and sustainable raw material for shrimp feed products. Diet attractiveness was evaluated in a 24-day feeding trial with whiteleg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) by measuring the intake of 12 diets with various levels of fish meal, calanus hydrolysate, and krill (Euphausia superba) meal. Higher inclusion rates of both ingredients resulted in increased feed intake, and supplementing the high fish meal diet with calanus hydrolysate gave a statistically significant higher feed intake. Low molecular weight peptides, chemoattractive amino acids, and the water-soluble nature of the hydrolysate could explain the chemoattractive properties observed in the study.

Abstract This study was conducted to determine the growth performance, body composition, and haematological profile of Heteropneustes fossilis in response to the replacement of fish meal (FM) by sunflower meal (SFM). The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design (CRD) with five treatments and three replications. The fish (initial average body weight of 2.42 ± 0.01 g) were reared in 15 glass aquaria (40 fish/aquarium) with a 150‐L water capacity. Five isoproteic (35%) diets were prepared by replacing FM protein with SFM protein at a rate of 0% (T0), 10% (T10), 20% (T20), 30% (T30), and 40% (T40). Fish were fed with experimental diet twice a day (9.00 and 16.00), 7 days a week for 8 weeks. Fish were sampled at the end of the experimental period of 8 weeks. At the end of the rearing period, the highest weight gain (6.25 ± 0.11g), % weight gain (163.32%), and specific growth rate (1.61 ± 0.03%/day) were observed in the control (T0) treatment, but the difference was not significant (p > 0.05) with T10 and T20 treatments. However, all the growth factors were decreased with the further inclusion level of SFM in replacement of FM, and the lowest growth performance was observed in T40 treatment. The protein efficiency ratio (PER) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) followed the same pattern as the growth parameters. It was found that the whole‐body proximate composition of fish was also affected significantly (p < 0.05). Haematological parameters significantly (P < 0.05) altered at 30% and 40% levels of replacement of FM with SFM. Based on these results, it can be concluded that 20% FM protein can be substituted with SFM protein in the diet of H. fossilis without compromising growth performance, feed utilization, chemical composition, and haematological status. However, according to polynomial regression analysis, the optimum level of replacement of FM protein with SFM protein was determined to be 14.3% in the diet of H. fossilis.

Simple Summary: There is a high demand for white fish meal in the diet of eels (Anguilla spp.). A reduced supply and higher price of white fish meal heavily limit the sustainability of the eel aquaculture industry. It is essential to explore a practical strategy to reduce the consumption of white fish meal. In the current study, we investigated the effects of low-quality brown fish meal with compound additives to replace the high-quality white fish meal on the parameters of growth and intestinal health status of juvenile American eels (Anguilla rostrata). The results implied that low-quality brown fish meal combined with compound additives could successfully replace 20% white fish meal without adversely affecting the intestinal health status of this fish species. With a reduced supply and increased price of white fish meal (WFM), the exploration of a practical strategy to replace WFM is urgent for sustainable eel culture. A 70-day feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of replacing WFM with low-quality brown fish meal (LQBFM) with compound additives (CAs) on the growth performance and intestinal health of juvenile American eels (Anguilla rostrata). The 300 fish (11.02 ± 0.02 g/fish) were randomly distributed in triplicate to four groups (control group, LQBFM20+CAs group, LQBFM30+CAs group and LQBFM40+CAs group). They were fed the diets with LQBFM replacing WFM at 0, 20%, 30% and 40%, respectively. The CAs were a mixture of Macleaya cordata extract, grape seed proanthocyanidins and compound acidifiers; its level in the diets of the trial groups was 0.50%. No significant differences were found in the growth performance between the control and LQBFM20+CAs groups (p > 0.05), whereas those values were significantly decreased in LQBFM30+CAs and LQBFM40+CAs groups (p < 0.05). Compared to the control group, the activity of glutamic-pyruvic transaminase was significantly increased in LQBFM30+CAs and LQBFM40+CAs groups, while lysozyme activity and complement 3 level were significantly decreased in those two groups (p < 0.05). There were decreased antioxidant potential and intestinal morphological indexes in the LQBFM30+CAs and LQBFM40+CAs groups, and no significant differences in those parameters were observed between the control group and LQBFM20+CAs group (p > 0.05). The intestinal microbiota at the phylum level or genus level was beneficially regulated in the LQBFM20+CAs group; similar results were not shown in the LQBFM40+CAs group. In conclusion, with 0.50% CA supplementation in the diet, LQBFM could replace 20% of WFM without detrimental effects on the growth and intestinal health of juvenile American eels and replacing 30% and 40%WFM with LQBFM might exert negative effects on this fish species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was designed to investigate the effects of enzymatically hydrolyzed poultry by-products (EHPB) on the growth and muscle quality of largemouth bass. Different concentrations of EHPB (0.00, 3.10, 6.20, 9.30, and 12.40%) were added to replace fishmeal (0.00 (control), 8.89 (EHPB1), 17.78 (EHPB2), 26.67 (EHPB3), and 35.56% (EHPB4)), respectively, in dietary supplementation. The results revealed that the growth performance and muscle amino acid and fatty acid remained unaltered in EHPB1 (p > 0.05). EHPB1 showed significant reduction in muscle hardness, gumminess, chewiness, and muscle fiber count and exhibited a significant increase in muscle fiber volume. The decrease in muscle hardness, gumminess, and chewiness means that the muscle can have a more tender texture. The expression of protein metabolism-related genes reached the highest levels in EHPB1 and EHPB2 (p < 0.05). The mRNA levels of s6k and igf-1 in EHPB2 and EHPB1 were significantly lower than those in the control group. Compared to the control group, the expression of muscle production-associated genes paxbp-1 was higher in EHPB1, and myod-1, myf-5, and syndecan-4 were higher in EHPB2. The mRNA levels of muscle atrophy-related genes, in EHPB4 and EHPB2, were significantly lower than those in the control group. Therefore, the EHPB1 group plays a role in promoting the expression of genes related to muscle formation. In summary, replacing 8.89% of fishmeal with EHPB in feed has no effect on growth and may improve back muscle quality in largemouth bass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) is becoming popular with the increased demand for fish protein. However, the limited resources and expense of fish meal and oil have become restrictive factors for the development of the rainbow trout related industry. To solve this problem, plant-derived proteins and vegetable oils have been developed as alternative resources. The present study focuses on evaluating the effects of two experimental diets, FMR (fish meal replaced with plant-derived protein) and FOR (fish oil replaced with rapeseed oil), through the alteration of the gut microbiota in triploid rainbow trout. The commercial diet was used in the control group (FOM). Results: Amplicon sequencing of the 16S and 18S rRNA genes was used to assess the changes in gut bacteria and fungi. Our analysis suggested that the α-diversity of both bacteria and fungi decreased significantly in the FMR and FOR groups, and β-diversity was distinct between FOM/FMR and FOM/FOR based on principal coordinate analysis (PCoA). The abundance of the Planctomycetota phylum increased significantly in the FMR group, while that of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes decreased. We also found that the fungal phylum Ascomycota was significantly increased in the FMR and FOR groups. At the genus level, we found that the abundance of Citrobacter was the lowest and that of pathogenic Schlesneria, Brevundimonas, and Mycoplasma was highest in the FMR and FOR groups. Meanwhile, the pathogenic fungal genera Verticillium and Aspergillus were highest in the FMR and FOR groups. Furthermore, canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) and network analysis suggested that the relatively low-abundance genera, including the beneficial bacteria Methylobacterium, Enterococcus, Clostridium, Exiguobacterium, Sphingomonas and Bacteroides and the fungi Papiliotrema, Preussia, and Stachybotrys, were positively correlated with plant protein or rapeseed oil. There were more modules that had the above beneficial genera as the hub nodes in the FMR and FOR groups. Conclusions: Our study suggested that the FMR and FOR diets could affect the gut microbiome in rainbow trout, which might offset the effects of the dominant and pathogenic microbial genera. This could be the underlying mechanism of explaining why no significant difference was observed in body weight between the different groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary fermented cottonseed meal (FCSM) substitution for fish meal on intestinal enzymatic activity, inflammatory and physical-barrier-related gene expression, and intestinal microflora of juvenile golden pompano. The 375 golden pompanos were divided into 15 groups of 25 fish each, with three replicates for each experimental group. The fish were fed five experimental diets (0 (FM), 12.5% (CSM12.5), 25% (CSM25), 50% (CSM50), and 100% (CSM100) substitution levels) for 8 weeks. The fish were reared and fed the experimental diets under a natural-day light cycle. Compared with the control group, the activities of AMY (amylase) enzymes in the CSM12.5 group and all other groups were elevated (p < 0.05). The CSM25 group exhibited a considerable up-regulation of IL-10 (Interleukin-10) expression relative to the FM group (p < 0.05). With an increase in dietary FM substitution with FCSM from 0 to 25%, the relative expressions of NF-κB (Nuclear factor kappa-B), IL-1β (Interleukin-1 beta), and IL-8 (Interleukin-8) were down-regulated. In this study, the relative expressions of ZO-1 (zonula occluden-1) and Occludin were up-regulated, and those of Claudin-3 and Claudin-15 significantly up-regulated, when the FCSM substitution ratio was 25%. The results of high-throughput sequencing of the intestinal microflora showed that ACE indices the lowest in the CSM25 group, which was significantly different from those in the CSM100 group (p < 0.05). The CSM50 group had the highest Shannon and Simpson indices and the highest community diversity. In addition, replacing a high percentage of fish meal with FCSM can negatively affect the intestinal flora of fish. In this study, the 25% substitution ratio improved nutrient absorption, reduced intestinal inflammation, improved intestinal physical barrier damage, did not affect intestinal microecology, and had no adverse effects on fish. However, substitution of a high proportion of FM with FCSM negatively affects the intestinal microflora and nutrient absorption capacity of fish. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The type of protein source in diets has many effects on shrimp. In this study, Litopenaeus vannamei with an initial body weight of 3.68 ± 0.002 g were fed for 8 weeks on three experimental diets (isoproteic: 41.00%; isolipidic: 7.61%) that were formulated using fish meal (FM), Chlorella sorokiniana (CHL), and Clostridium autoethanogenum protein (CAP) as the primary protein sources, respectively. This study examined the growth, non-specific immunity, intestinal digestion, and microbiota of L. vannamei after the feeding experiment concluded. Compared to the FM group, the findings indicate that the weight gain rate (WGR), specific growth rate (SGR), and protein efficiency ratio (PER) of L. vannamei were notably enhanced via dietary CAP. The CHL group exhibited the highest levels of catalase (CAT), phenoloxidase (PO), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities in the gills of L. vannamei, whereas the FM group had the lowest levels. Conversely, the malondialdehyde (MDA) content showed the opposite trend. Both dietary CHL and CAP promoted the digestive enzyme activities of L. vannamei, with dietary CAP having a more pronounced promotional effect. An analysis of alpha diversity indicated that the consumption of dietary CHL substantially enhanced the abundance and diversity of microbiota in the intestinal tract of L. vannamei. Furthermore, the dietary CHL significantly increased the colonization of immune-associated beneficial bacteria and inhibited the colonization of pathogenic bacteria in the intestinal tract of L. vannamei, whereas dietary CAP mainly increased the colonization of growth-associated beneficial bacteria. Functional predictions showed that different dietary protein sources affect various metabolic activities and signaling pathways of L. vannamei, and some functions, including signal transduction, cell motility, and the immune system, were significantly enhanced in the CHL group. In summary, both dietary CHL and dietary CAP promoted growth and immunity in L. vannamei compared to dietary FM. The results of this study could be helpful for the sustainable development of shrimp farming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the effects of different protein sources and butyric acid contents in aquafeed on the growth, survival rate, lipid peroxidation enzymes, and intestinal villi of 7.3 g jade perch, Scortum barcoo. The experimental treatment groups were the whole fish meal protein (FM) group, the FM + butyric acid (FMB) group, the 50% fish meal protein and 50% black soldier fly meal protein (FBM) group, the FBM + butyric acid (FBMB) group, the whole black soldier fly meal protein (BM) group, and the BM + butyric acid (BMB) group. The experimental results showed that the jade perch fed with the FMB feed had a significantly higher weight gain rate and antioxidant enzyme activity than the other treatment groups. The red blood cell count, hemoglobin concentration, and hematocrit contents in the blood of jade perch were not affected by the protein source, but they increased with the addition of butyric acid. The intestinal villi length of the jade perch that were fed diets containing butyric acid were significantly higher than that of the jade perch that were fed diets without butyric acid supplementation. The results of this study show that the addition of butyric acid to a balanced feed composed of protein can contribute to the growth of jade perch. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of heating duration on digestibility of the muscle powder of three fish (pollock [WP], yellowtail [YT], mackerel [CM]) and the whole-body powder from mackerel (WM) were assessed in vitro using a digestive enzyme complex (EC) extracted from yellowtail pyloric caeca. This research will contribute to establishing a theoretical basis for feed processing conditions for yellowtail. Transcriptomic analysis showed that the most dominantly expressed genes in the pyloric caeca examined were those for trypsin and that their activity was well maintained in the EC. To assess heating effects, the powders were heated at 99 °C for 0, 3, 20, 72 and 240 min, followed by hydrolysis with the EC. After 3 min of heating the WP, YT and CM, the average production of essential amino acids (EAAs) decreased to 81.3%, 72.0% and 66.9%, respectively, compared to that detected in controls without heating. The production further decreased with increased heating duration from 3 to 240 min, but much of the decrease was within the first 3 min in WP, YT and CM. The decreasing rate of EAA production was higher in WM than CM, and increased with heating time. These results suggest that WP is the most suitable feed material for yellowtail of the four samples tested and that the shortening of heating time and removal of viscera are also important factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this research was to determine how well zooplankton meal (ZM) and Daphnia meal (DM) might replace fish meal (FM) in the diet of white leg shrimp, Penaeus vannamei, without negatively impacting the shrimp's growth performance or feed intake. A total of 315 shrimp fry were employed, and the shrimp were randomly assigned to one of seven treatment groups, with three replicates per group. Here are the seven diets that were tested: C = fed commercial diet (control group); Z = fish meal replaced by zooplankton meal at 25%, 50%, and 75%; and D = fish meal replaced by Daphnia meal at 25%, 50%, and 75%. The protein composition of all the experimental diets was equalised by structural adjustments (40 % protein). Z50 and D75, in which 50% and 75% of fishmeal were replaced by zooplankton meal and Daphnia meal, respectively, showed the highest values of growth performance parameters (final length, length gain, final weight, weight gain, and daily weight gain) and feed utilisation parameters (food conversion ratio, feed efficiency ratio, and protein efficiency ratio). The larvae of White leg shrimp, Penaeus vannamei, showed substantial improvements in growth performance and feed utilisation metrics when fishmeal was replaced with zooplankton meal or Daphnia meal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: As an excellent but most expensive source of protein, fish meal (FM) is commonly used in 30–60% of the aquafeed for salmon fish species including coho salmon. However, the high cost and unstable supply of FM led it no longer to be considered as a sustainable protein source for aquafeeds. Accordingly, alternative protein sources with low cost and high availability have become a research hotspot in aquafeed for carnivorous species. Poultry by-product meal (PBPM), one of the rendered animal protein sources, can be used as protein substitute of FM in aquafeed due to its economical availability and high protein content and growth promotion effects in comparison to plant proteins. Until now, little information has been available on evaluating the effects of replacing FM by animal proteins including PBPM for coho salmon. In this study, the effects of PBPM instead of FM on growth, muscle composition, and tissue biochemical indexes of coho salmon were investigated. The results showed that the growth performance, feed utilization, muscle composition, serum biochemical indices, and liver antioxidant enzyme activities of coho salmon were negatively affected by high dietary inclusion level of PBPMs, and the optimum substitution level was evaluated based on the specific growth rate (SGR). The present study evaluated the effects of partially substituting fish meal (FM) with poultry by-product meal (PBPM) on the growth, muscle composition, and tissue biochemical parameters of coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) post-smolts. Five isonitrogenous (7.45% nitrogen) and isoenergetic (18.61 MJ/kg gross energy) experimental diets were made by substituting 0%, 10%, 20%, 40%, and 60% FM protein with PBPM protein, which were designated accordingly as PBPM0 (the control), PBPM10, PBPM20, PBPM40, and PBPM60, respectively. Each diet was fed to triplicates of ten post-smolts (initial individual body weight, 180.13 ± 1.32 g) in three floating cages three times daily (6:50, 11:50, and 16:50) to apparent satiation for 84 days. Both specific growth rate (SGR) and protein efficiency ratio did not differ significantly (p > 0.05) among the control, PBPM10, and PBPM20 groups, which were remarkably (p < 0.05) higher than those of the PBPM40 and PBPM60 groups. Feed conversion ratio varied inversely with SGR. The PBPM replacement had no remarkable effects on the morphological indices and proximal muscle components. The control and PBPM10 groups led to significantly higher muscle contents of leucine, lysine, and methionine than groups of higher PBPM inclusion. The groups of PBPM40 and PBPM60 obtained significantly (p < 0.05) higher serum alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase activities than the control and low PBPM inclusion groups. The control group had significantly higher albumin and total cholesterol contents than the groups with PBPM inclusion. The control group had significantly higher triglycerides content than the PBPM60 group. The PBPM60 group had significantly lower contents of high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein, and total protein than the control and PBPM10 groups. The high PBPM replacement level up to 40% and 60% had adverse effects on hepatic malondialdehyde levels. The catalase and superoxide dismutase activities were not affected by low PBPM inclusion, but significantly decreased in high-PBPM-inclusion groups. Based on broken-line regression analysis of SGR and PER, the optimum dietary PBPM replacing level was evaluated to be 16.63–17.50% of FM protein for coho salmon post-smolts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Expansion of guinea fowl flock has been a challenge and one of the reasons is the low feed availability, especially in the dry season. The objective of this study was to contribute to the improvement of the nutritional situation of local guinea fowl with house fly larvae as a protein source. A total of 144 guinea fowls (Numida meleagris) of approximately 16 weeks old were grouped in batches of 12 and randomly distributed to four feeding treatments with three replications per treatment. Pre-egg laying and egg laying feed rations were formulated with different levels of sun-dried fly larvae and standard pre-egg laying and egg laying ration containing fishmeal as controls. The pre-egg-laying rations were served for 11 days, while the egg-laying rations were served for 58 days. The chemical composition of the formulated rations, individual Daily Feed Intake (DFI), Average Daily Gain (ADG), Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR), and number of eggs and eggs characteristics (weight, large diameter and shape index) were recorded for each treatment. The dried larvae-based feed showed the highest crude protein content compared to the control feed that was fishmeal-based. In addition, the results showed a relationship between the incorporated quantities of dried fly larvae and the resulting guinea fowl performances. For example, the highest DFI (63.35 g/bird; p≤0.05) and FCR (11.94; p≤0.05) were obtained in the group fed the pre-egg laying and egg-laying rations containing 25 % and 13 % fly larvae, respectively. However, the group fed the ration containing 16.67 % and 12.94 % of fly larvae in the pre-egg laying and egg laying phases, respectively, showed a DFI of 57.05 g/bird and an FCR of 9.09. These were similar to the values obtained for the control group (57.19 g/bird/day and 11.94, respectively), with a better ADG (2.91 g against 1.71 g). Egg laying performance (number of eggs) and egg characteristics (large diameter) were significantly improved (p <0.05) in favor of treatments including dried fly larvae with values proportional to incorporation quantities. Findings from the current study suggest that the incorporation of fly larvae in pre-egg-laying and egg-laying feeds significantly increased the performance of guinea fowls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to determine the effects of heat treated-soybean meal, fish meal, meat meal, and an equal blend of fish and meat meal as rumen-ungradable protein (RUP) sources on productive performance, nutrient digestibility, N-utilization efficiency, and blood metabolites in high-producing Holstein dairy cows. Twelve lactating Holstein cows (DIM = 89 ± 11; mean ± SD) were used in a replicated 4 × 4 Latin square design receiving four diets formulated with amounts (DM basis): (1) 3.1% heat treated-soybean meal (T-SBM), (2) 2.5% fish meal (FM), (3) 3.0% meat and bone meal (MM), and (4) an equal blend of 1.4% FM plus 1.4% MM (FMM), as dietary RUP sources. The crude protein concentration was kept constant across the treatments (16.7% of DM). The duration of each experimental period was 21 d with 15 d devoted to dietary adaptation and 6 d to data collection. Dry matter intake (24.2 kg/d), actual milk (41.8 kg/d), 4% fat-corrected milk yield (35.6 kg/d), milk composition (Fat = 3.03%, Protein = 2.90%), and blood metabolites were not affected by treatments. Apparent N efficiency (29.5%) was similar across the diets. Based on our results, T-SBM, FM, MM, and mixed of FM and MM had a similar effect on productivity and N-utilization efficiency in lactating dairy cows. Based on the income over feed cost (IOFC), under our experimental conditions, use of the meat meal as a source of dietary RUP can be recommended as a feeding strategy for feed to lactating cows receiving high-concentrate diets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fishmeal (FM) is considered a preferred source of protein for aquatic feed due to its good palatability and digestibility, a balanced amino acid profile, and a low level of anti-nutritional factors (ANFs). Shortage of FM supply and increases in price, however, are major challenges faced by feed producers and aquaculture farmers. Fermented soybean meal (FSBM) has been proposed to partially replace FM because of its high nutritional value and low cost. The optimal FSBM concentration for substituting FM and effects of FSBM substitution on growth performance, energy metabolism, and immune response nevertheless remain unclear. We evaluated the effects of shrimp diets containing FSBM at 0% (FM), 25% (FSBM25), 50% (FSBM50), 75% (FSBM75), and 100% (FSBM100) on the shrimp Penaeus vannamei Boone, 1931. FSBM50 led to a significantly higher weight gain (postlarvae 1927.36 ± 46.64%, young juveniles 237.00 ± 8.25%, and juveniles 153.96 ± 2.18%) than the other experimental and control diets in different stages of the shrimp. The FM group consumed less oxygen than the experimental diet groups. FSBM75 and FSBM100 led to a significantly higher ammonia-N excretion than FM, FSBM25, and FBSM50. All experimental diet groups exhibited a significantly higher O:N ratio (8.3 ± 0.8–9.4 ± 1.7) than the FM group (7.1 ± 0.2). Shrimp fed with FSBM25- and FSBM50-containing diets exhibited an increased total hemocyte count, and FSBM25, FBSM50, and FSBM100 led to a significantly higher superoxide anion production than FSBM75 and FM. FSBM substitution in shrimp diets resulted in a significantly higher phagocytic activity than the FM diet, suggesting that FSBM substitution improves the cell-mediated immune response in shrimps. In challenge trials with white spot syndrome virus (WSSV), all experimental diets led to a higher survival rate than the FM diet, and in Vibrio parahaemolyticus challenge trials, FSBM50 led to a higher survival rate than the other experimental and control diets, indicating that FSBM substitution in shrimp diets could improve the defense capacity of shrimps against WSSV and V. parahaemolyticus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the effect of Trichoderma harzianum in combination with biochar or other organic feedstocks, i.e., fish meal, Medicago, and maize straw, on the growth of Lens culinaris, Zea mays, Oryza sativa, and Glycine max. Biochar and other organic feedstocks were characterized by 13C-CPMAS NMR spectroscopy. Fish and Medicago had low C/N and high N content, while biochar, maize, and AC (Activated Carbon) had high C/N. pH ranged from 9.38 for biochar to 5.67 for AC. 13C-CPMAS NMR showed large chemical changes in organic mixtures leading to aromatic C-type enrichment in the presence of biochar or AC. Biochar and organic feedstocks inoculated with T. harzianum showed different effects, ranging from inhibition to crop stimulation. Overall, out of 88 cases, T. harzianum inoculum had a positive effect on root length in 46 cases (52.2%). The effect of fungal inoculum was particularly positive when combined with AC or biochar and when non-pyrogenic amendments were present. In contrast, a negative effect was observed when T. harzianum was inoculated with N-rich non-stabilized organic amendments. Further research is needed to identify the specific mechanisms underlying the inhibitory and bio-stimulatory effects of Trichoderma mixtures with organic amendment for the right combinations of raw materials that maximize crop productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protein source feed components are particularly important in broiler and layer feed formulation. Protein-rich insects may be the greatest substitute for protein-rich feed items such as fish and soybean meals. The black soldier fly (BSF) (Hermetia illucens) is an excellent example of an organism that can transform organic waste into protein, lipids, chitin, and other substances. Black Soldier Fly larvae (BSFL) have 42% crude protein, 29% fat, and 23% moisture content on a dry matter (DM) basis. Without specific infrastructure, commercial manufacturing of BSF is achievable. BSF could be used in poultry feed to help reduce pollution. A buildup of organic wastes may result in a possible pollution issue but BSF can transform a wide range of organic waste into a source of protein for poultry. Moreover, the most economical diets were those that had 25% and 100% of Black Soldier Fly Larvae Meal (BSFLM), respectively. The most significant benefit of BSF as a chicken feed ingredient is that it might be a sustainable protein source and a cost-effective replacement for high-cost protein feedstuffs. The importance of the BSF as a potential source of organic protein for broiler and layer chicken production is highlighted in this review of the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the shortage of fish meal resources and increasing prices, the search for alternatives to fish meal has become the focus of aquaculture research. Microbial fermentation can improve the nutrient composition of feed raw materials and reduce anti-nutritional factors, which can be used as a source of feed protein in aquaculture. Fermented feed can reduce the feeding cost of aquaculture, increase the feed intake of aquatic animals, increase the body immunity, and improve the growth performance and disease resistance of aquatic animals. In the paper, the fermentation method of fermented feed is briefly introduced, and its application in fishmeal replacement of aquatic feed is emphatically discussed, to provide reference for the development and application of fishmeal replacement of aquatic feed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens, BSF) is a saprovorous insect native to South America. It has the characteristics of wide diet range, rapid growth, strong reproduction ability. Due to its rich pro tein content and balanced amino acid composition, BSF is considered as a source of new aquatic feed protein sources with great potential. It has been showed that as a source of feed ingredient, BSF products can partially or even completely replace fish meal or soybean meal in aquatic animal feed, and has a good application prospect in aquaculture industry. Currently, BSF is mainly added to the aquatic feed in the form of three protein raw materials: full-fat BSF larvae meal, defatted BSF larvae meal and pre-pupa meal. Due to the different nutritional characteristics, different BSF feed products and appropriate addition level should be selected for different breeding objects to obtain the best breeding results. This paper reviewed the biological characteristics, nutritional value, factors affecting its production and the latest progress in the application of different product types of BSF protein raw material in aquatic feed, and prospected the application prospect of BSF products as protein raw materials in aquatic feed, aiming to provide reference for its industrial application. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of fishmeal on the growth and antioxidant capacity of juvenile Litopenaeus vannamei under different storage conditions. Litopenaeus vannamei [(0.40± 0.02) g] were randomly divided into 7 groups of 3 replicates each with 40 shrimp in each replicate. Fish‐ meal was stored at 4 ℃ and room temperature [(20.0~22.5) ℃] for 45 d, 90 d and 135 d. Each group was denoted as FFM, 4-FM45, 4-FM90, 4- FM135, RT-FM45, RT-FM90 and RT-FM135, respectively. The results showed that the shrimp weight gain rate and specific growth rate were sig‐ nificantly higher in the 4-FM45 group at 4 ℃ than in the FFM group (P<0.05) and feed coefficient was significantly lower in the 4-FM45 group than in the FFM group (P<0.05). The total antioxidant capacity, glutathione peroxidase and catalase in hepatopancreas were significantly higher in the 4-FM45 group than in the FFM group (P<0.05); GSH-Px mRNA and TRS mRNA expression were significantly higher in the 4-FM45 group than in the FFM (P<0.05). Under room temperature conditions, the weight gain rate of shrimp was significantly higher in the 4-FM45 group than in the FFM group (P<0.05), and the T-AOC and TRS activities in the hepatopancreas were significantly higher in the RT-FM45 group than in the FFM group (P<0.05); TRS mRNA expression was significantly higher in the RT-FM45 group than in all other groups (P<0.05). In conclusion, short-term storage of fishmeal (45 d) significantly enhanced the antioxidant capacity of hepatopancreas of shrimp under both storage temperature conditions and had no significant effect on feed utilization and growth performance of Litopenaeus vannamei; prolonged storage of fishmeal (135 d) significantly reduced the antioxidant capacity of Litopenaeus vannamei. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biofloc meal, a by-product from biofloc technology, is gaining more and more attention from researchers as a non grain new protein source due to its high content of probiotics and rich bioactive compounds, sustainability and no competition with human food. Relevant studies at home and abroad have confirmed that biofloc meal has a positive effect on the growth and organism health of aquatic animals. In this paper, based on the reference of relevant studies at home and abroad, the nutritional characteristic of biofloc meal and its effects on growth performance, digestive function, immune function, antioxidant capacity and disease resistance were summarized, aiming to provide a basis for rational development and utilization of no grain protein sources, saving fish meal protein and optimizing the feed formulated of aquatic animal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Black soldier fly larvae contains nutrients such as crude protein, amino acid, fat and trace elements, which can partially or even completely replace soybean meal and fish meal in animal feeding. It is the most economical and safe measure to solve protein shortage in animal feed industry. In order to meet the demand of insect protein feed, the industrial culture of black soldier fly has become a big trend. Different breeding substrates and breeding environment are the limiting factors of black soldier fly in large-scale breeding. In this paper, the characteristics of intestinal flora of black soldier fly and its influencing factors on the level of industrial culture are discussed, which provides ideas and reference for further improving the efficiency of industrial breeding of black soldier fly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]