Soybean Meal Use-Atlantic Cod

Norwegian researchers replaced fish meal with a 2:1 mixture of corn gluten meal and full-fat soybean meal.  The six dietary treatments consisted of two fish meal sources and three replacement levels were fed to 167g fish in a twenty-week growth study.  All diets were extruded and balanced for gross energy, crude protein, lipid, carbohydrate, lysine and phosphorus.  Results indicated that protein and amino acid digestibility was unaffected by including the plant protein ingredient, where as lipid and energy digestibility was reduced by replacing the fish meal with the plant protein mixture.  The liver fatty acid profile reflected the full-fat soybean meal.  The researchers concluded that corn gluten meal and full-fat soybean meal in a 2:1 ratio can replace approximately half of a high quality fish meal without affecting feed intake, growth, protein digestibility or meat quality characteristics.  Lower amounts of the plant protein ingredient should be included in the diet if the quality of the fish meal is reduced.

Albrektsen, S., H. Mundheim and A. Aksnes.  2006.  Growth, feed efficiency, digestibility and nutrient distribution in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) fed two different fish meal qualities at three dietary levels of vegetable protein sources.  Aquaculture 261(2): 626-640.