Meal Ingredients Research Articles

1H NMR-Based Metabolomics and Lipid Analyses Revealed the Effect of Dietary Replacement of Microbial Extracts or Mussel Meal with Fish Meal to Arctic Charr (Salvelinus alpinus)

The effects of replacing 40% of dietary fish meal (FM) in a reference diet (REF) with either mussel meal (MM), zygomycete fungi (ZYG), extracted baker’s yeast (EY), or non-extracted baker’s yeast (NY) on the lipid and metabolic profile of Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) were investigated. After a 14-week feeding trial, liver and muscle tissues were collected for lipid (lipid content, lipid class, fatty acid composition) and 1H NMR-based metabolomics analyses (aqueous and chloroform phases). Lipid analyses showed that fish fed ZYG diet had lower liver lipid content and thereby 10% higher level of docosahexaenoic acid compared with REF. Metabolomics analyses showed that on the one hand fish fed NY diet affected liver metabolites (2–3 fold higher concentrations of e.g., n,n-dimethylglycine and betaine) compared with REF, while, on the other hand, the muscle metabolic fingerprint was mainly affected by EY. In general, affected metabolites (e.g., alanine, anserine, betaine, hydroxyproline, isoleucine, malonate, n,n-dimethylglycine, proline, succinate, and valine) in fish fed test diets suggested that the test meal ingredients caused mainly a response in muscle metabolism. Fish metabolism was least affected by MM, which suggests that it may be suitable to replace fish meal in Arctic charr diets.

Efficiency of Radiolabeling Eggs Before and After Microwave Cooking for Gastric Emptying Scintigraphy Studies.

The accuracy and reproducibility of nuclear medicine gastric emptying scintigraphy (GES) require strict adherence to the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging standardized protocol, which contains precise instructions for meal ingredients and preparation. Previous research demonstrated that many laboratories were using whole eggs in the test meal as opposed to the guideline-recommended liquid egg whites and that some laboratories were attempting to radiolabel the egg by adding the radiotracer after cooking. This study aimed to document the labeling efficiency of 99mTc-sulfur colloid (SC) added to whole eggs before and after microwave cooking. Methods: Whole eggs were mixed with 99mTc-SC before and after microwave cooking. The radiolabeling stability of the eggs was tested after 2 and 4 h of incubation in gastric fluid simulated using just hydrochloric acid (HCl) and using HCl with pepsin. Results: The experiment showed that no matter what the testing condition, radiolabeling by adding 99mTc-SC to whole eggs before cooking resulted in a significantly higher labeling efficiency than radiolabeling by squirting the 99mTc-SC on eggs after cooking. This finding persisted over time, with the precooking method still showing significantly higher radiolabeling at 2 and 4 h after the egg was placed in the incubation medium for both gastric fluid mediums. For simulated gastric fluid with pepsin at 2 h, the labeling was significantly higher, at 73.3%, when the radiotracer was added before cooking than the 43.3% when added after cooking (P < 0.001). The results of this study further showed that when egg labeling efficiency was tested in HCl without pepsin, the labeling was less stable than when tested in HCl with pepsin. In the HCl-only medium, the labeling efficiency decreased significantly between 2 and 4 h for both radiolabeling methods. Conclusion: The results of this study demonstrated that the addition of 99mTc-SC to whole eggs after cooking resulted in considerably inferior binding of the radiotracer to the eggs and that binding deteriorated significantly over time. The study further demonstrated that the results of radiolabeling efficiency varied depending on whether HCl or HCl with pepsin was used to simulate gastric fluid. Radiolabeling stability decreased over time when HCl without pepsin was used. The findings emphasize the criticality of adhering to the standardized meal and preparation, as alternate cooking methods have different radiolabeling efficiencies.

Compared to Pre-prepared Meals, Fully and Partly Home-Cooked Meals in Diverse Families with Young Children Are More Likely to Include Nutritious Ingredients

BackgroundInterest in initiatives that promote home cooking has been increasing, but no studies have examined whether home cooking is associated with dietary quality using longitudinal data on meals served in a diverse sample of families. ObjectiveThe present study examined data on multiple meals per family in diverse households to determine whether home-cooked meals are more likely to contain nutritious ingredients than pre-prepared meals. DesignData for the study came from the National Institutes of Health–funded Family Matters Study. As part of this study, between 2015 and 2016, 150 families provided ecological momentary assessment data on 3,935 meals over an 8-day observation window. Participants/settingIn this study, investigators followed 150 families with children aged 5 to 7 years old from six racial/ethnic groups (n=25 each non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, Hispanic, Native American, Hmong, and Somali families). Recruitment occurred through primary care clinics serving low-income populations in Minnesota. Main outcome measuresThe main outcomes were participants’ self-reports of whether they served fruits, vegetables, and whole grains at a meal, and reports were made within hours of the meal. Statistical analyses performedWithin-group estimator methods were used to estimate the associations between meal preparation and types of food served. These models held constant time-invariant characteristics of families and adjusted for whether the meal was breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a snack and whether it was a weekend meal. ResultsFor all racial/ethnic and poverty status groups, meals that were fully or partly home-cooked were more likely to contain fruits and vegetables than pre-prepared meals (P<0.001). Meals that were partly home-cooked were the most likely to contain whole grains (P<0.001). Restaurant meals were more likely to contain vegetables than pre-prepared meals (P<0.001) but were equally likely to contain fruits and/or whole grains as pre-prepared meals. ConclusionsInterventions or initiatives that encourage fully or partly home-cooked meals may help families incorporate nutritious foods into their diets. In addition, evaluations of potential strategies to increase the likelihood of supplementing pre-prepared and restaurant meals with nutritious meal ingredients warrants further investigation.

National School Lunch Nutrition and Cost Profile: A Case Study of the Ghana School Feeding Programme.

Numerous governments in developing countries institute school lunch programs or school feeding programs as a strategy to address high malnutrition and low education rates among children. In 2005, the Ghanaian government launched the Ghana School Feeding Programme (GSFP). The GSFP policy does not document (1) the actual meal and associated nutrient profile received by the student, (2) the cost of the meal ingredients to the caterer who prepares the food, nor (3) the recipe derivations that may supply an enhanced nutritional profile. We address these 3 information gaps by employing a detailed case study of 4 caterers supplying a traditional tomato stew recipe in northern Ghana within GSFP-supported school lunch programs. Specifically, we explore the following propositions: (1) GSFP caterers can deliver a school lunch for under 100 pesewas (1 GH¢ or $0.21 USD) per student; (2) the meal meets the recommended daily allowance for protein; (3) soy can serve as a cost-effective ingredient to fortify the meal in terms of protein level and protein quality; and (4) significant differences exist in the macro- and micronutrient profile due to caterer discretion. We answer the above 4 propositions, and by doing so show the importance of accurately measuring the nutritional content, costs, and quantities of the actual school lunch under study. Second, among our results, we show the economy of locally produced soy flour as an ingredient that can lower costs and raise nutrition when substituting for other locally produced proteins such as ground beef and mackerel.

The Use of Family Rituals in Eating Behaviors in Hispanic Mothers.

Food rituals often abruptly change when Hispanic families migrate to the United States. This report describes changes in rituals of food procurement, preparation, and presentation (food-PPP) in Hispanic women following migration to the United States. Focus groups and face-to-face interviews were conducted with 13 low-income, overweight/obese Hispanic women 27 to 40 years of age. Content analysis was used to analyze cultural and contextual sources for food-PPP. Changes in rituals and traditions in food-PPP occurred, including materials and ingredients for traditional meals. Food rituals may play a role in healthful eating and could, therefore, serve as leverage points for interventions designed to promote healthy eating behaviors.

Gut histology, immunology and the intestinal microbiota of rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum), fed process variants of soybean meal

Processed soybean meal ingredients have become an emerging plant-based protein used in aquafeed formulations and have been shown to influence gastrointestinal health and microbiota in cultured species. Two 60-day feeding trials with juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss, Walbaum) were conducted to compare the effects of fishmeal (FMC), defatted soybean meal (SBM), bioprocessed soybean meal (BSBM) and commercial soy protein concentrate (CSPC) ingredients on intestinal histology, innate immunity and microbiota profiles. Results indicated no significant differences in intestinal immunoglobulin concentrations (p = .41) or gut leukocyte phagocytosis at day 15 samplings (p = .41). Intestinal lysozyme content was found to be highest at day 60 in the BSBM treatment group (p < .01). No significant differences across treatments were observed in histological profiles at day 0 (p = .75), day 15 (p = .08) and day 60 (p = .22). ANOSIM analysis for microbiota beta diversity showed differences among all treatment groups, with the exception of the high and low levels of BSBM (p = .40). There were also differences observed in the alpha diversity ratios, with significant differences in gut communities among dietary groups as demonstrated by Chao-1 (p < .01) and Shannon indices (p = .02). The incorporation of processed soy-based proteins alters the microbial community composition within the distal intestine, and modulates lysozyme concentrations within the distal intestinal tissues.

Effectiveness of differing levels of support for family meals on obesity prevention among head start preschoolers: the simply dinner study

BackgroundDespite slight decreases in obesity prevalence in children, nearly 25% of preschool-aged children are overweight or obese. Most interventions focused on promoting family meals as an obesity-prevention strategy target meal planning skills, knowledge and modeling of healthy eating without addressing the practical resources that enable implementation of family meals. There is a striking lack of evidence about what level of resources low-income parents need to implement family meals. This study will identify resources most effective in promoting family meals and, subsequently, test associations among the frequency of family meals, dietary quality and children’s adiposity indices among children enrolled in Head Start.MethodsThe Multiphase Optimization Strategy, employed in this study, is a cutting-edge approach to maximizing resources in behavioral interventions by identifying the most effective intervention components. We are currently testing the main, additive and interactive effects of 6 intervention components, thought to support family meals, on family meal frequency and dietary quality (Primary Outcomes) as compared to Usual Head Start Exposure in a Screening Phase (N = 512 low-income families). Components yielding the most robust effects will be bundled and evaluated in a two-group randomized controlled trial (intervention and Usual Head Start Exposure) in the Confirming Phase (N = 250), testing the effects of the bundled intervention on children’s adiposity indices (Primary Outcomes; body mass index and skinfolds). The current intervention components include: (1) home delivery of pre-made healthy family meals; (2) home delivery of healthy meal ingredients; (3) community kitchens in which parents make healthy meals to cook at home; (4) healthy eating classes; (5) cooking demonstrations; and (6) cookware/flatware delivery. Secondary outcomes include cooking self-efficacy and family mealtime barriers. Moderators of the intervention include family functioning and food security. Process evaluation data includes fidelity, attendance/use of supports, and satisfaction.DiscussionResults will advance fundamental science and translational research by generating new knowledge of effective intervention components more rapidly and efficiently than the standard randomized controlled trial approach evaluating a bundled intervention alone. Study results will have implications for funding decisions within public programs to implement and disseminate effective interventions to prevent obesity in children.Trial registrationClincaltrials.gov Identifier NCT02487251; Registered June 26, 2015.

Using photo interviews to explore children's food preferences

This methodological paper elaborates on the pitfalls and potentials for using participatory photo interviews that explore children's experiences with food. It aims to show how participatory photo interviews can give a deeper understanding of children's food preferences. Such knowledge will be useful to other researchers who wish to apply the method in social studies involving children and food. We studied 12 families comprising seven- and eight-year-old children and their parents to illustrate how this method can be used to identify and understand children's food preferences. The children took photographs over a one-week period while eating family dinners at home and grocery shopping with their parents. The photos were then used to elicit information during separate in-depth interviews. The Qualitative data analysis software (NVivo 10) was used to content analyse the data. We found that participant photo interviews were a useful method for helping children to remember and describe the sensory, cognitive and affective situational associations of their meals. This approach helped to explore interesting aspects of children's preferences such as their response to raw vegetables, the importance of controlling and choosing meal ingredients and ambivalent food preferences. We discuss parental involvement during data collection as it represents one of the methodological pitfalls. Another limitation is the risk of sensitive information to be breached. We conclude that participatory photo interviews have potential for future food research involving children and may provide information difficult to elicit using other methods. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Healthy Eating: Improve Nutrition with SNAP

SNAP (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly called Food Stamps) is one of several nutrition programs that help people meet their dietary needs. This 2-page fact sheet provides a brief overview of SNAP and examples of ingredients for healthy meals. Written by Linda B. Bobroff, and published by the UF Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, revised November 2016.­http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fy918&#x0D; Previous version: Bobroff, Linda. 2011. “Healthy Eating: Improve Nutrition With SNAP”. EDIS 2011 (10). https://journals.flvc.org/edis/article/view/119403.&#x0D; Retired from EDIS October 2020.

Exploring the color of plant powders using computer colorimetry

The question of using a new method of color measurement with the use of contemporary digital computer technology was considered, which implies obtaining, under certain conditions, digital image of the tested sample. The plant powders, explored in the work, contain a number of pigments, which determine both the color of the powder and the color of culinary products, in composition of which they are included. When measuring сolor coordinates of the powders, their restoration with water was conducted, in this case, the restored samples have lower lightness in comparison with the native powder. The difference of change in the value of сolor coordinate L on average decreases by 20 %. The measurement of сolor of prepared meals, which was made with the use of plant powders, showed that they have lower saturation in comparison with the powders, since the pigment concentration decreases. In this case, other ingredients of meals shift the magnitudes of сolor coordinates of lower magnitudes of saturation and lightness towards the lightness of native powder. The exception is the powder from sea buckthorn, the pigments of which are manifested poorly in the restored state. The accessibility of the method makes it possible to use it for evaluating quality, controlling technological process of preparing meals and culinary products using traditional and innovative ingredients, including vegetable and fruit­and­berry powders.

Effect of inclusion of key foods on in vitro iron bioaccessibility in composite meals.

The in vitro bioaccessibility of iron in context to fortification of key foods to cereal based diets was studied to optimize the meals for enhanced iron bioaccessibility to meet the needs of vegetarian and non-vegetarian adult women. Four individual food items and thirty six composite meals were selected to represent a wide spectrum of meal ingredients. The four individual foods: chapati, rice, dal and saag were choosen on the basis of data reported on meal pattern of surveyed households of north India. The basic meals were then fortified with key food ingredients which may influence in vitro iron bioaccessibility. Eight selected key foods were salad, orange, lemonade, milk, curd, chicken, egg and tea. The results revealed that inclusion of 200g of chicken, 135g of salad and 120g of orange to the basic meals of rice or chapati with either dal or saag enhanced iron bioaccessibility by 1.6 fold to 5.0 fold; 5.2 to 28.9% and 4.7 to 10.7%, respectively. The best enhancer of iron absorption for vegetarians was lemonade (250ml) which resulted in 70.2 and 61.0% increase of in vitro bioaccessibility of iron to the rice based meals with dal and saag, respectively. The inclusion of lemonade resulted in 1.3 fold increase in iron bioaccessibility in chapati based meals. The major inhibitors of iron bioaccessibility were egg and tea, the percent reduction caused by egg being 16.1 to 50.2% while by tea, it was between 21.5 to 55.3%. The study recommends that those vulnerable to iron deficiency should be encouraged to increase overall intake of iron from iron rich foods. The increase should be coupled with efforts to combine appropriate foods in the diet to enhance the bioaccessibility of iron and reduce inhibitory factors.

Shopping missions: An analytical method for the identification of shopper need states

Shoppers enter stores to meet diverse need states, such as getting a soft drink and a bag of potato chips for immediate consumption or purchasing ingredients for meals to make on the same day. The present article introduces the concept of a shopping mission that can be identified by the complementarity and sales affinity among the balanced number of product categories in trips with relatively concrete goals. The authors develop an analytical method to identify several shopping missions at the store level and demonstrate the utility, validity, and replicability of this method using a data set with 4 million baskets from a multinational supermarket chain. The authors also provide evidence that the identification of shopping missions offers a wealth of opportunities for targeted shopper marketing activities.

Hong Kong parents' perceptions of the transference of food preparation skills

AbstractFood preparation skills among young adults are associated with healthy food choices, better diets and a greater likelihood of an independent, healthy adult life. This study conducted in Hong Kong aimed to investigate parents' perceptions of cooking skills; to explore the transference of cooking skills in the home setting; to identify parents' expectations regarding the transference of cooking skills; and to inform the development of educational initiatives for developing healthy eating habits. A questionnaire survey was conducted to collect information of the subjects' cooking experience, attitudes about cooking skills, cooking habits at home, family meal habits, transference of cooking culture in the family and the factors influencing the choice of ingredients and cooking. It was administered to 1009 Hong Kong parents (of students aged between 11 and 18, studying in 15 secondary schools). The collected data were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (version 12.0, SPSS, Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) and cross‐tabulation analyses were used to compare the responses of the parents by gender, employment status and income. The results show that parents valued cooking as important life skills for both boys and girls. Parents generally perceived their cooking skills either good (41.9%) or mediocre (54.5%), yet children are rarely taught these skills in the home. Family meals prepared primarily with fresh ingredients are still an important part of the daily routine, and mothers are dominating the roles in food choice decision, cooking and buying the ingredients for family meals. Mothers and schools are expected to be the major channel to teach children cooking skills. Findings suggest that parents are well‐disposed towards providing food and nutrition education at home, but need more support (50% reported that home should be a primary support for learning cooking skills; 36% indicated that the school should have a responsibility to teach children to cook starting in elementary school). Schools may do well to collaborate with families in food literacy education initiatives. Developing individuals' cooking skills paves the way for long‐term health benefits and the well‐being of the local population.

New rules for school caterers

New rules for school caterers

Supplementary diet components of little auk chicks in two contrasting regions on the West Spitsbergen coast.

The complete diet composition structure of the most numerous planktivorous sea bird, little auk (Alle alle), in the European Arctic, is still not fully recognized. Although regular constituents of little auk chick diets, the copepods, Calanus glacialis and C. finmarchicus have been previously relatively well described, more taxa were frequent ingredients of the bird’s meals. Therefore, the role of the little auks supplementary diet components (SDCs) at two colonies in the Svalbard Archipelago, Hornsund and Magdalenefjorden, in 2007–2009, is a main subject of this comparative study. Because the SDCs often consisted of scarce but large zooplankters, this investigation was focused on biomass as a proxy of the SDCs’ energy input. Although the total biomass of the food delivered to chicks in both colonies was similar, in Magdalenefjorden, the proportion of SDCs was twice that found in Hornsund. The main SDCs in Hornsund were Decapoda larvae (with predominating Pagurus pubescens) and Thysanoessa inermis, whereas the main SDCs in Magdalenefjorden were C. hyperboreus and Apherusa glacialis. Previous investigations, which indicated lipid richness of SDCs, together with our ecological results from the colonies, suggest that this category might play a compensatory role in little auk chick diets. The ability to forage on diverse taxa may help the birds to adapt to ongoing Arctic ecosystem changes.

Is Scratch-Cooking a Cost-Effective Way to Prepare Healthy School Meals with US Department of Agriculture Foods?

BackgroundDespite the resurgence of interest in scratch-cooking as a way to increase the quality and appeal of school meals, many school districts are concerned about the cost implications of switching to scratch-cooking. US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Foods are the single largest source of ingredients for school meals, and about half of USDA Foods are diverted for processing before being sent to the school district. ObjectiveWe aimed to determine whether school lunch entrées made in a district from basic or raw USDA Foods ingredients can be healthier and less expensive to prepare than those sent to external processors. Design/settingThis cross-sectional study examined the relationship between the extent of scratch-cooking and the nutritional content and cost to prepare entrées. Information was gathered by interview with school foodservice personnel and from school foodservice records from a convenience sample of 10 school districts in California that employed varying degrees of scratch-cooking and is diverse in terms of geographic location and the sociodemographics of the student body. The sample included all elementary school lunch entrées that contain USDA Foods offered during October 2010 for a total sample of 146 entrées. Statistical analysesOrdinary least squares regressions were used to test for statistically significant differences in cost and nutrient content of entrées according to the level of scratch-cooking. ResultsThere was no significant relationship between total costs and level of scratch-cooking. Entrées with the highest scratch-cooking scores had significantly lower food costs, higher labor costs, and not significantly different total costs compared with entrées with no scratch-cooking. Nutrient content was not consistently associated with scratch-cooking, but scratch-cooked entrées did include a larger variety of non–fast-food-type entrées. ConclusionsThe findings suggest that scratch-cooking can be a cost-effective way to expand the variety of healthy school lunches prepared with USDA Foods.

Evaluation of fermented soybean meal sources in diets for nursery pigs (2014)

A total of 296 mixed-sex pigs (PIC 327 × 1050; 14.5 ± 3.0 lb BW and 21 d of age) were used in a 31-d experiment evaluating the effect of further processing methods for soybean meal on weanling pig growth performance. There were 11 replicate pens per treatment with 6 or 7 pigs per pen. At weaning, pigs were allotted to pens by initial weight to 1 of 4 treatments in a completely randomized design. Experimental treatments were: (1) negative control (NC: no specialty protein sources), (2) fermented soybean meal processing method 1 (FSBM 1), (3) fermented soybean meal processing method 2 (FSBM 2), and (4) enzymatically treated soybean meal (ETS). The specialty soybean meal protein sources were included in Phase 1 (d 0 to 7) and Phase 2 (d 7 to 20) diets at 5%, and diets were formulated to the same standardized ileal digestible (SID) amino acid level. All pigs were subsequently fed a common diet during Phase 3 (d 20 to 31). Phase 1 and 2 diets were fed in pellet form, whereas the Phase 3 common diet was fed in meal form. Nutrient analyses of specialty soybean meal ingredients were conducted and generally matched those used for diet formulation. From d 0 to 7, pigs fed FSBM 2 had increased (P < 0.05) ADG and BW compared with pigs fed ETS, whereas those fed NC and FSBM 1 were intermediate. No other differences were observed between treatments for growth or BW during the experimental period, common period, or overall. In summary, further processed soybean meal sources did not improve nursery pig growth compared with traditional soybean meal.; Swine Day, Manhattan, KS, November 20, 2014

Digestibility of dietary components and amino acids in animal and plant protein feed ingredients in striped catfish (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) fingerlings

The apparent digestibility (AD) of dietary components, energy and essential amino acids (EAA) of selected locally available animal and plant protein feed ingredients in striped catfish (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) fingerlings was studied. The AD of the test ingredients (ADi) differed (P < 0.05) and ranged from 81.1% to 90.8%, for ADiDM, from 84.0% to 95.0% for ADiCP, from 78.4% to 86.9% for ADiOM and from 79.0% to 87.8% for ADiGE. The highest ADiDM, ADiCP and ADiOM in the test ingredients were found for shrimp head meal, catfish by-product meal, golden apple snail and groundnut cake, while the lowest values were obtained for earthworm meal and rice bran. The highest ADiGE was found in rice bran, followed by golden apple snail and catfish by-product meal, while there were no differences (P < 0.05) between the other test ingredients, except for earthworm meal. The AD of total and individual EAA was high in catfish by-product meal and shrimp head meal, followed by decreasing AD in golden apple snail, groundnut cake, rice bran and earthworm meal ingredients (P < 0.05). The low AD of earthworm meal may limit its potential to be used as replacement for fish meal in the feed.

Intelligent Setting Control for Clinker Calcination Process

AbstractIn the process of clinker calcination, the target value of the raw meal decomposition rate (RMDR) is different in the easy and difficult calcination stages because the boundary conditions of raw meal (i.e., raw meal flow, raw meal ingredients, and particle size) change frequently, where RMDR cannot be guaranteed to be within its desirable range. To solve this problem, an intelligent setting control method is proposed in this paper for a clinker calcination process. The proposed approach is realized by on‐line adjustment of the setpoints of control loops in line with the changes of raw meal boundary conditions. This method consists of five modules, namely an RMDR target value setting model, a control loop pre‐setting model, a feedback compensation model based on the fuzzy rules, a feedforward compensation model based on the fuzzy rules, and a soft measurement model for RMDR. Successful application to the clinker calcination process of the Jiuganghongda Cement Plant in China has been made, where the efficiency of the proposed method has been validated by the results of the practical application.

Digestibility of dietary components and amino acids in plant protein feed ingredients in striped catfish (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) fingerlings

The apparent digestibility (AD) of dietary components, energy and essential amino acids (EAA) of selected locally available animal and plant protein feed ingredients in striped catfish (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) fingerlings was studied. The AD of the test ingredients (ADi) differed (P < 0.05) and ranged from 81.1% to 90.8%, for ADiDM, from 84.0% to 95.0% for ADiCP, from 78.4% to 86.9% for ADiOM and from 79.0% to 87.8% for ADiGE. The highest ADiDM, ADiCP and ADiOM in the test ingredients were found for shrimp head meal, catfish by-product meal, golden apple snail and groundnut cake, while the lowest values were obtained for earthworm meal and rice bran. The highest ADiGE was found in rice bran, followed by golden apple snail and catfish by-product meal, while there were no differences (P < 0.05) between the other test ingredients, except for earthworm meal. The AD of total and individual EAA was high in catfish by-product meal and shrimp head meal, followed by decreasing AD in golden apple snail, groundnut cake, rice bran and earthworm meal ingredients (P < 0.05). The low AD of earthworm meal may limit its potential to be used as replacement for fish meal in the feed.