Evaluation of Soy Protein Concentrate and Meat and Bone Meal as a Replacement for Fish Meal in the Diet of Nile Tilapia Fingerlings

This experiment evaluated soy protein concentrate (SPC) and meat and bone meal as a replacement for fish meal protein (FP) in the diet of Nile tilapia fingerlings. Five diets were evaluated including a control diet (50.0% crude protein [CP], of which half the protein came from fish meal [FM]), and four diets in which FM was replaced by increasing amounts of SPC (25.5, 50.0, 75.5, and 100.0%) in combination with meat and bone meal. At the conclusion of a 60-d growth trial, the following parameters were determined: final weight (FW), final length (FL), weight gain (WG), feed intake (FI), apparent feed conversion (AFC), survival (SUR), and production cost. The estimate of the best replacement value was determined by polynomial regression and the linear response plateau. The results showed significant (P<0.05) improvement for WG and AFC ratio as FM was gradually replaced by SPC. The parameters FL and FI reached their optimum value at a replacement level of 100% SPC. These results show that it is feasible to use a combination of SPC and meat and bone meal in a balanced feed formulation as an alternative protein source in the diets of Nile tilapia fingerlings.