Effect of Partial Replacement of Fish Meal with Fermented Soybean Meal on Growth, Feed Efficiency, Body Composition, Amount of Lactic Acid Bacteria in Diet and Intestine in Carp (Cyprinus carpio L. 1758)

Abstract

This trial was conducted to determine the effects of feeding a diet containing fermented soybean meal with whey on growth performance, body composition, hepatosomatic index (HSI), and viscerosomatic index (VSI) of carp. Fermented soybean meal (FSM) was used to replace fish meal (FM) protein in diets for juvenile carp (Cyprinus carpio) at rates of 10% (FSM10), 20% (FSM20), 30% (FSM30), 40% (FSM40) and 50% (FSM50). The control diet contained no fermented soybean meal. All experimental diets were prepared as isonitrogenous and isocaloric. The feeding trial was conducted in 18 glass aquaria. At the beginning of the experiment, 30 fish (average weight 1.66±0.14 g) were randomly stocked into each aquarium with 3 replications per treatment. At the end of the experiment, the highest final weight, weight gain, and specific growth rate were obtained in carp fed with FSM20 group. However, growth parameters and feed conversion ratio (FCR) of fish fed with diets containing fermented soybean meal up to 50% of fish meal protein were similar to those of the fish fed the control diet. There were no significant differences between body compositions, HSI, and VSI of all groups. Fermentation with whey of soybean meal increased the number of lactic acid bacteria in diet. However, lactic acid bacteria levels in the intestine not changed with the use of fermented soybean meal in the diet. The results of this experiment were showed that fermented soybean meal with whey can be replaced by up to 50% of fish meal protein in diets for juvenile carp.