DIGESTIBILITY, FEED UTILISATION, GROWTH PERFORMANCE AND HEALTH CRITERIA ASSESSMENT OF MEDITERRANEAN SEA BREAM (SPARUS AURATA) FED SELECTED ANIMAL BY-PRODUCTS

Title: DIGESTIBILITY, FEED UTILIZATION, GROWTH PERFORMANCE AND HEALTH CRITERIA ASSESSMENT OF MEDITERRANEAN SEA BREAM (SPARUS AURATA) FED SELECTED ANIMAL BY-PRODUCTS

Principle Investigator: Simon Davies

Year: 2005

Objective:The present research was conducted objectively with category three defined materials or high standard to obtain reliable information to characterize the suitability of animal by products for sea bream.

Lay Summary/Industry Summary: The data presented in this report has provided a means to confidently screen the by-products for their efficacy as potential feed ingredients for Mediterranean Gilthead sea bream, Sparus aurata.

The values for protein and energy for individual animal by-products enabled balanced diet formulations to be designed and this was then implemented in a subsequent experiment to assess the best performing ingredients in a longer term nutritional trial with sea bream. These were the PMM at varying inclusion level up to 75% replacement of fishmeal protein, and low inclusions of enzyme treated feathermeal and spray dried haem.

The diet protein levels were assigned to provide 40% digestible protein using the values obtained from the previous digestibility trials for the protein sources. The formulation of the diets is shown in Table 5 and these diets are therefore isonitrogenous with respect to digestible protein level and essentially isocaloric in terms of lipid and carbohydrate content.