Use of Standard or Modified Plant-Derived Lipids as Alternatives to Fish Oil in Feeds for Juvenile Nile Tilapia

Abstract

In support of developing sustainable aquafeeds, production performance and fillet fatty acid profile were assessed in juvenile Nile tilapia (0.61 ± 0.0 g/fish mean ± SE) raised for 16 weeks on diets containing fish oil or 50:50 blends of fish and plant-derived lipids. Standard, low 18:3n-3, or saturated fatty acid (SFA)-enriched soybean oils, palm oil, or low 18:3n-3 canola oil may be used to partially spare fish oil in feeds for Nile tilapia without impairing production performance, though use of hydrogenated soybean oil appears to impair growth and conversion efficiency. Of the plant lipids evaluated, palm and SFA-enriched soybean oil appear to be the best alternatives in terms of maintaining fillet long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid content and the nutritional value of tilapia fillets.