Evaluation of brewers spent grains with different levels of exogenous enzymes on the production performance and body composition of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus)

ABSTRACT

This study evaluated Brewers Spent Grains (BSG) and an enzyme additive (Allzyme^TM; ENZ) in practical diets for juvenile (~5 g/fish) Nile tilapia (Trial 1) and channel catfish (Trial 2). Following a factorial arrangement, effects of three dietary levels of BSG (0, 270, and 550 g/kg) and three levels of ENZ (0, 0.2, and 0.4 g/kg) on production performance and whole-body composition of the fish were evaluated. Upon conclusion of the feeding trials, no effects of ENZ, or interactions between BSG and ENZ, were found. Fish survival was >85% and unaffected by diet. Reduced growth of tilapia (from 949% to 778%) and catfish (from 1802% to 1364%) as dietary BSG increased from 0 to 550 g/kg were observed. In these trials, weight gain was reduced in both channel catfish and tilapia at BSG inclusion rates of ≥270 g/kg and that the addition of exogenous enzymes did not improve BSG utilization.

KEYWORDS:

• Brewers Spent Grains
• enzyme
• additive
• non-starch-polysaccharides
• aquaculture
• nutrition

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Jessica Miller for typing the manuscript and Dr Kirk Pomper for administrative support.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

Data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding authors upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Evans-Allen project number 1014337. Funding was also provided by Kentucky’s Regional University Trust Fund to the Aquaculture Program as KSU’s Program of Distinction.