Potential Use of Ipil-Ipil (Leucaena leucocephala Lam.) As Fish Feed Ingredient: A Mini-review

Abstract

Aims: This article aims examines the effect of giving Ipil-Ipil (Leucaena leucocephala) in feed on the growth of various types of fish and the nutritional content of Ipil-Ipil.
 The method used in this literature study is to review several research articles on the use of Ipil-Ipil on fish growth, and the nutritional content of various parts plant.
 The utilization of Ipil-ipil raw materials for fish is limited by the present of some antinutrient substances such as phytic acid, mimosine, tannins, as well as a fairly the high content of neutral detergent fiber (NDF) of 39.5% and acid detergent fiber (ADF) of 35.10%. Studies evaluating the nutritional quality of Leucaena as a fish feed ingredient gave varying results. There are significant differences with using Leucaena leucocephala as a substitute food for fish feed. It shows an increase in performance from the point of view of a certain growth rate, weight gain and feed conversion ratio. However, not all dietary experiments are affected for fish growth due to the processing techniques applied that involve soaking and drying the leaves thus reducing the antinutrients in Leucaena leaf meal which are mostly mimosine.
 Conclusion: The leaves of Leucaena leucocephala have the potential to make considerable contributions to feeding of the Africa catfish as this study demonstrate the it’s suitability at 20% level of inclusion without any negative effects on the growth.