In vitro protein digestibility of animal, vegetal and microbial feed ingredients for Macrobrachium tenellum

Due to the cost of raw materials, the need to formulate balanced feeds with highly digestible ingredients is indispensable for the aquaculture feed industry. For this reason, the protein in vitro digestibility, assessed by the pH-stat method, of ingredients with potential of using them on the balanced feed for Macrobrachium tenellum, were evaluated. The relative protein digestibility was assessed in twelve feed ingredients, including animal (pork meal, feather poultry meal, prime poultry meal, turkey meal, fish meal, shrimp meal), vegetal (coconut paste, chickpea meal, soybean meal, wheat gluten) and microbial (yeast and Spirulina meal); casein (Hammerstein grade) was used as the reference protein. The highest relative protein digestibility was found in: Spirulina meal (52.6%); following by pork meal (45.6%), and feather poultry meal (39.6%). The lowest digestibilities were found in soybean meal (15.9%), chickpea meal (12.1%), and fish meal (11.6%). The protein digestibility value should be considered for selecting potential ingredients for the formulation of balanced feeds for M. tenellum.