Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Sciences,King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah , Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
2
Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
3
Department of Marine Biology, Faculty of Marine Science, King Abdulaziz University, 80207, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
10.21608/ejabf.2025.440529.6957
Abstract
The aquaculture sector, which heavily depends on fishmeal (FM) as the primary protein source, is gradually phasing out this reliance due to the increasing price of FM and its limited availability. Consequently, the quest for alternative protein sources has become a matter of urgency. Shrimp head meal (SHM) is the leftover parts after the shrimp processing industry and represents a clean and well-balanced nutritional source of protein. The current research evaluated the impact of dietary substitution of fishmeal (FM) with shrimp head meal (SHM) in the Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) fed for 14 weeks. Four isonitrogenous and isolipidic diets were prepared, wherein SHM replaced FM at 0% (control), 25%, 50%, and 75%. The water quality was ideal for tilapia culture throughout the experiment. The growth performance (weight gain, weight gain percentage, specific growth rate (SGR), and relative growth rate (RGR)) and feed utilization (feed intake, feed efficiency ratio (FER), and feed conversion rate (FCR)) of the control and 25% SHM groups were higher than those of the 50% and 75% SHM groups, no substantial alteration was detected between the control and 25% SHM treatment. The 50% and 75% SHM groups also showed significant decreases in red blood cell count (RBC), hemoglobin content (Hb), and hematocrit (Hct), indicating physiological stress. Although these parameters were lowered, feed costs were reduced by 12%, and profits increased by up to 46% when 75% SHM was used. From an economic point of view, the 25% SHM diet resulted in a 5% reduction in feed cost per kg of fish gained and an increase in profit per ton of feed. Shrimp head meal may replace up to 25% of dietary FM in practical diets for O. niloticus. This level provides a viable solution to lower feed costs and increase profits without affecting growth or health. It is not advisable to substitute with a higher level without prior treatment to alleviate the antinutritional effects of chitin.
Keywords
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