<b>Replacement of soybean meal protein by corn gluten meal protein in diets for Nile tilapia fingerlings</b> - DOI: 10.4025/actascianimsci.v25i2.1991

Abstract

The research was carried out aiming to evaluate the replacement of soybean meal protein by corn gluten meal protein in Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus L. (Cichlidae) diets. The experimental design was completely randomized with five treatments 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% of replacement of soybean protein by corn gluten meal protein and 4 replicates. The used levels corresponded to 11.75%, 23%, 35.78% and 42.28% of corn gluten meal inclusion in diets, formulated to be isoproteic in digestible protein (DP), isocaloric in digestible energy (DE) and with the same amount of crude fiber, lysine and methionine. One hundred fingerlings were used with average weight 7.47±1.61g, distributed in 20 aquaria (250L), in recirculating water system with controlled temperature. It was observed quadratic effect on weight gain, feed conversion rate and protein efficiency rate, whose optimum values were respectively 30.69%; 48% and 46.25%, of replacement of soybean meal protein by corn gluten meal protein and linear effect to feed consumption. According to the average of the referent estimate values to different parameters evaluated, it was concluded that corn gluten meal protein can be replaced until 42.00% (19.82% of inclusion in diet) of soybean meal protein in Nile tilapia diets fingerlings.