Sunflower meal compared with soybean meals as partial substitutes for fish meal in rainbow trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss) diets: protein and energy utilization

Abstract

This work evaluated the nutritive potential of sunflower meal protein as compared to soybean meal and fish meal protein in trout diets. Energy utilization was also studied to determine the overall nutritive value of the raw material. Sunflower meal protein could replace up to 40% of fish meal protein in the diet with results very similar to those obtained with soybean protein at the same replacement percentage. Sunflower meal showed good digestive utilization of protein, even though the digestible energy was low due to the carbohydrate fraction. The addition of an appropriate level of digestible carbohydrates to the diet made with this raw material improved the nutritive utilization of the dietary protein and of the diet as a whole.