Use of Plant Protein in Atlantic Cod Diets
Soybean meal, corn gluten meal, a mixture of soybean meal and corn gluten meal, or a mixture of wheat gluten meal and soy protein concentrate were substituted for fish meal in a twenty-week feeding study. Results demonstrated rapid growth rates and fish fed the high levels of plant protein maintained growth by increasing feed intake. This was confirmed by the higher feed conversion rations for the plant protein treatments. The apparent digestibility measured by fecal stripping showed high apparent digestibility coefficients. Small decreases in protein apparent digestibility and larger decreases in fat apparent digestibility were observed in the high plant protein diets. No histopathological changes were found in the liver or gastrointestinal tract of any of the treatments. Heat shock proteins, which indicate stress, were not affected by the high plant protein diets. The authors concluded that Atlantic cod has a high tolerance to these plant proteins tested in this study and can be safely fed up to 44% of diet without adverse effects on performance, intestinal or liver function.
Hansen, A.C. and co-workers. 2006. The inclusion of plant protein in cod diets, its effect on macronutrient digestibility, gut and liver histology and heat stock protein transcription. Aquaculture Research 37(8): 773-784.
