Effect of Feather Meal on Growth and Body Composition of the Juvenile Pacific White Shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei

Abstract

A 35.8% crude protein shrimp diet containing 24.5% fish meal was modified by substituting either a regular feather meal or a high-digestibility feather meal for 33.3, 66.7, and 100% of fish meal on an equal weight basis. Additionally, synthetic amino acids were added to both types of feather meal diets so that their total lysine and methionine contents were the same as those of the fish meal-based control diet. After an 8-week growth assay, shrimp body weight ranged from 0.92 to 2.83 g, and survival was in the range from 58.3 to 76.4%. No body weight difference occurred between shrimp fed diets based on either type of feather meal (P= 0.178). However, a significant weight difference existed between shrimp fed both types of feather meals with amino acid supplementation and those without amino acid supplementation (P= 0.023). Shrimp fed 33.3% fish meal replacement diets grew faster than those with 66.7 or 100% fish meal replacement diets (P= 0.043 and P= 0.012, respectively). Supplementing amino acids to both feather meal diets reduced shrimp body moisture (P= 0.014) and contents of ash (P= 0.002) and increased crude fat (P= 0.007) but had no significant effect on crude protein content (P =0.062).

Key Words:

• Shrimp
• feather meal
• fish meal
• lysine
• methionine
• body composition