Use of soybean meal and rice bran in formulated diets for the grouper Epinephelus coioides

Abstract

Two diets were formulated to include 8–14% soybean meal and 9–18% rice bran, 34–40% fish meal, 4–5% mussel meal, and 7–8% Acetes shrimp meal, and 11–13% cod liver oil. Soy bean meal and rice bran were included at 4:1 ratio together to replace 12.5% and 25% of the animal protein sources in the two diets. The two diets were prepared in dry D form and moist M form. The four test diets, D12.5, M12.5, D25, and M25 diets had 40–42% protein and 4,000 kcal/g gross energy. The control diet used was a dry diet with 44% crude protein and 4,260 kcal/g, made with 30% Peruvian fish meal, 8% squid meal, 22% Acetes shrimp meal, 8% cod liver oil, 8% soybean oil, but no plant protein sources. The five diets were fed to juvenile grouper (mean weights ranging from 1.63 ± 0.47 to 2.41 ± 0.91 g) in indoor 400 L concrete tanks (10 fish per tank). After 10 weeks, growth, feed intake, feed conversion ratios (1.2–2.2), and survival (60–80%) of juvenile grouper were not significantly different between the test diets and the control. The carcass composition of the harvested grouper was not significantly different among diets. Protein utilization was best among the fish fed the test diet D12.5. This study showed that soybean meal and rice bran at 4:1 ratio can be included in formulated diets for grouper to replace 12.5% to 25% of the animal protein sources. However, the results for the test diets may also have been due to other factors - the high fish meal content, inclusion of mussel meal, and increase in cod liver oil.