Low-cost Diet Research Articles

POLÍTICA DE SEGURANÇA ALIMENTAR E NUTRICIONAL E SUA RELAÇÃO COM OS RESTAURANTES POPULARES: O CASO TOLEDO-PR

Este artigo propõe-se identificar e analisar o grau de influência/interação da Política de Segurança Alimentar e Nutricional com os restaurantes populares de Toledo-PR. A configuração teórico-metodológica elaborada estabelece uma breve revisão acerca das políticas públicas por meio dos restaurantes populares, voltadas para assegurar o acesso a alimentos saudáveis, seguros e com baixo custo para a população vulnerável. A técnica Delphi e o software MICMAC ampara os procedimentos adotados para levantamento e análise dos dados da pesquisa primária junto aos gestores municipais de Toledo-Pr. Como resultado, observa-se que a Política de Segurança Alimentar e Nutricional foi uma das que apresentou maior quantidade de interações fortes. Uma ação nessa variável afetaria todo o sistema de forma positiva ou negativa. Os dados comprovam a má alimentação por parte da população e que um dos motivos é o custo do alimento saudável. Neste sentido, conclui-se que os restaurantes populares podem ser uma ferramenta para diminuir os índices de insegurança alimentar e nutricional, uma vez que oferecem à população uma alimentação saudável e de baixo custo.

Growth response of rotifers on a bacterial-based diet made from fishwastes

Fishwastes are potential low-cost diet sources for replacing microalgae, which is the popular diet for rotifers. Growth responses of rotifer were tested under different weights of the diet (i.e. 0.05, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.4 g/L), different culture containers (i.e. using small tall (ST), small-short (SS), medium-tall (MT) and large-short (LS) containers), different initial densities of the rotifer (i.e. 10, 50 and 200 rotifers/mL) and mass cultured trials for 15 and 30 days. Population densities of rotifers increased significantly (ANOVA, p=0.001) when providing 0.1 to 0.4 gr/L than those fed 0.05 gr/L of the diet (Tukey HSD test, p<0.05). The densities also were significantly higher (ANOVA, p=0.001) when cultured using larger containers (LS and MT) than using smaller containers (ST, SS) (Tukey HSD test, p<0.05), but it was not significant when inoculated at different initial densities (ANOVA, p>0.05). The rotifers were successfully mass cultured for 30 days and were successfully harvested for 7 times at densities of about 2500 to 3300 ind./mL.

Nutrition rehabilitation of children with severe acute malnutrition: Revisiting studies undertaken by the National Institute of Nutrition.

Severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in children under five years is an important public health problem due to associated high mortality and long-term health consequences. Research on the dietary causes of SAM, especially the role and relative importance of dietary protein, in the aetiology of oedematous malnutrition, has led to considerable debates and controversies. The present article revisits some of the debates in this field, where the researchers at the National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), Hyderabad, India, with their pioneering work, have contributed to the global literature on the various facets of the disease. Highlighting the importance of energy as a bigger problem than protein malnutrition is a noteworthy contribution of NIN's research. It is, however, important to examine the protein quality of the diets in light of the new information on the lysine requirements. The article argues that the currently dominating hypothesis of free radical theory requires a critical review of the supporting evidence. Over the past few decades, the research has focused on low-cost diets using locally available foods. The article also argues that solutions based on local foods, being acceptable and sustainable, need to be strengthened for their effective delivery through the existing nutrition programmes. Recent evidence shows that the use of ready-to-use therapeutic foods (RUTF) with high micronutrient density may be linked with higher mortality possibly due to the high iron content, which could be counterproductive. There are several unaddressed concerns regarding the potential long-term impact of consumption of RUTF in children with SAM. More evidence and a cautious approach are, therefore, needed before implementing these solutions.

Review on Hydroponic Feed Value to Livestock Production

In agriculture hydroponics is an advanced technology. Hydroponic production is used to guarantee a constant production of high quantity of green forage throughout the year for livestock feed with suitable prices. Therefore, this review aims to review hydroponic feed value on livestock production. Hydroponics is a technique of growing of plants without soil but in water or nutrient rich solution in a greenhouse. This fodder increases up to 20-30cm height consisting of roots, seeds and plants. About 1.50-3.0 liters of water is required to produce one kg of fresh hydroponics fodder in seven days since water can be reused. However, DM content of 11-14% is common for hydroponics maize and yields of 5-6 folds on fresh basis. Since the hydroponics, fodder is more palatable, digestible and nutritious while imparting other health benefits to the animals and improve production performance of livestock. The cost of seed contributes about 90% of the total cost of production of hydroponics maize fodder as compared to conventional which is much lower. Supplementing is 5-10 kg fresh hydroponics maize fodder per cow per day. Digestibility of the nutrients of the ration could increase in milk production (8- 13%) by feeding hydroponics fodder. Hydroponics fodder can be produced by farmers to feed their dairy animals using low cost diet in situations, where conventional green fodder cannot be grown successfully. Therefore, there is a need for more research and development endeavor for better utilization in the future.

A Review of the Use of Linear Programming to Optimize Diets, Nutritiously, Economically and Environmentally.

The “Diet Problem” (the search of a low-cost diet that would meet the nutritional needs of a US Army soldier) is characterized by a long history, whereas most solutions for comparable diet problems were developed in 2000 or later, during which computers with large calculation capacities became widely available and linear programming (LP) tools were developed. Based on the selected literature (52 papers), LP can be applied to a variety of diet problems, from food aid, national food programmes, and dietary guidelines to individual issues. This review describes the developments in the search for constraints. After nutritional constraints, costs constraints, acceptability constraints and ecological constraints were introduced. The 12 studies that apply ecological constraints were analyzed and compared in detail. Most studies have used nutritional constraints and cost constraints in the analysis of dietary problems and solutions, but such research begin showing weaknesses under situations featuring a small number of food items and/or nutritional constraints. Introducing acceptability constraints is recommended, but no study has provided the ultimate solution to calculating acceptability. Future possibilities lie in finding LP solutions for diets by combining nutritional, costs, ecological and acceptability constraints. LP is an important tool for environmental optimization and shows considerable potential as an instrument for finding solutions to a variety of very complex diet problems.

Ganho de peso e alterações metabólicas em camundongos submetidos à dieta hiperlipídica

Objetivo: Avaliar a eficiência da dieta hiperlipídica na indução da obesidade e nas alterações do metabolismo da glicose e dos lipídeos, em camundongos C57BL/6.Materiais e Métodos: Utilizou-se 19 camundongos C57BL/6, divididos em grupo controle (dieta comercial; n=9) e experimental (dieta hiperlipídica; n=10). Foi mensurado o consumo de ração e ganho de peso durante 12 semanas, e calculado o Coeficiente de Eficiência Alimentar (CEA) e Índice Aterogênico. Foi realizado o Teste Oral de Tolerância à Glicose (TOTG), e construída a curva glicêmica, sendo verificada a área sobre a curva (AUC). Foram dissecados o fígado e os sítios de tecido adiposo (TA), feita análise histológica do fígado e TA epididimal, calculado o Índice de Adiposidade (IA%) e mensurada a concentração do colesterol total e frações, glicose e triglicerídeos séricos.Resultados: O grupo experimental apresentou menor consumo de ração (p&lt;0,001) e maior ganho de peso total (p=0,001) e CEA (p&lt;0,001). Observou-se aumento no TA epididimal (p&lt;0,001), retroperitoneal (p&lt;0,001), mesentérico (p=0,002) e perirrenal (p=0,012), gordura total (p&lt;0,001) e IA% (p&lt;0,001) no grupo experimental. O colesterol total foi maior no grupo experimental (p=0,025) e o HDL menor no controle (p=0,005). A área dos adipócitos do grupo experimental foi maior que do controle (p=0,049). Nos demais parâmetros não houve diferença significante entre os grupos.Conclusão: Este modelo induziu a obesidade em um curto período de tempo e promoveu aumento da adiposidade visceral, com dieta de baixo custo. São necessários outros estudos visando melhorar sua eficiência e alterar de forma completa os lipídeos sanguíneos e a glicemia nos camundongos C57BL/6.

Apparent digestibility of conventional and alternative feedstuffs by hybrid tambacu juveniles.

The apparent digestibility coefficients (ADC's) of dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), and gross energy (GE) of conventional feedstuffs (cottonseed meal-CSM, soybean meal-SBM, wheat bran-WHB, corn-COR) and regional alternative feedstuffs (common bean residue meal-CBR, mesquite meal-MES, pasta by-product meal-PBM) were determined for hybrid juvenile tambacu Colossoma macropomum × Piaractus mesopotamicus. The apparent DM and GE digestibility of feedstuffs decreased (p<0.05) as fiber content of the ingredients increased. No differences (p>0.05) were found among ADC's of PBM and COR. The lowest CP ADC among energy sources was observed in MES; the lowest CP ADC among plant protein sources was observed in CBR. Information about the ADC's of conventional and alternative feedstuffs for tambacu is essential to formulate low-cost diets and can contribute to regional development.

COEFFICIENTS OF ENERGY AND NUTRIENT APPARENT DIGESTIBILITY OF THREE RAW AND COOKED ALTERNATIVE PLANT INGREDIENTS FOR Colossoma macropomum AND Piaractus brachypomus (SERRASALMIDAE)

The coefficients of the apparent digestibility for dry matter, crude protein, crude lipid and gross energy in cooked and raw green plantain meal (GPM), cassava root meal (CRM), and peach palm meal (PPM) were determined for juveniles of black pacu (60.8 ± 6.4 g) and red pacu (76.3 ± 5.0 g). The ADC of each alternative ingredient was determined by comparison of the digestibility (based on recovery of 1% chromic oxide as an inert marker) of a reference diet (consisting of 70% of test diet and 30% of the feedstuff) against with a test diet (24.5% of crude protein). Fish were bred in a recirculation system including 42, 110-L glass aquaria (21 tanks per species) at a density of five fish per tank, and fed their respective diets to apparent satiety, twice a day. Feces were collected after 10 days in plexiglass fecal collectors. Apparent digestibility coefficients of crude protein, crude lipid and gross energy from raw and cooked GPM and CRM were low compared to values to other common vegetal ingredients like corn and wheat. Conversely, ADC values for raw and cooked PPM were, in most cases, higher than those reported in raw or cooked GPM and CRM. In comparison with other traditional feedstuffs, apparent utilization of PPM was similar to corn and higher than reported for soybean meal and wheat bran in these fish species. Peach palm meal appears to have good potential as a feed ingredient in low-cost diets for pacu species.

Effects of Feed Species and HUFA Composition on Survival and Growth of the Longsnout Seahorse (Hippocampus reidi)

Globally, wild seahorse populations are threatened due to, habitat destruction and unsustainable human exploitation among others. Furthermore, aquaculture-based mass-scale rearing is still uncommon due to the low survival rates of seahorse juveniles and exceptionally high feed costs. Previous studies have demonstrated the importance of both highly unsaturated fatty acid (HUFA) supplies and a copepod-based rearing for seahorse survival and growth. As the latter is expensive, the question arises as to how high survival rates of seahorse juveniles can be assured under low- to moderate-cost feed regimes. In particular, it remains unknown whether the diet species or their dietary HUFA profiles determine the successful development of seahorse fry. Therefore, the aims of this study were to assess the dependence of growth and survival rates of Hippocampus reidi brood on the animal feed and to infer the impact of feed species vs. dietary HUFA profiles on juvenile growth. A nutrition experiment was conducted where juveniles were treated either with enriched Artemia nauplii (low-cost diet Art) or with a mixed diet of Artemia and copepods (moderate-cost diet Art/Cop). Larval survival and growth were analyzed using Cox proportional-hazard and mixed linear model analyses. We found that i) both diets enabled good survival, ii) diet Art/Cop resulted in superior weight and height growth, and iii) the differential effects of diets Art/Cop and Art cannot be explained by their different HUFA compositions alone. From an economical point of view, our findings of high survival rates and relatively high growth rates with the medium-cost treatment Art/Cop may open new possibilities for the large-scale rearing of seahorses. Even the application of a low-cost Art diet might be appropriate for seahorse aquacultures as both survival and growth rates are only marginally lower compared to the former diet.

Effect of incorporating rice bran or parboiled rice polish with or without exogenous phytase in the diet on growth of Jinding ducklings

A total of 48 straight-run day old ducklings (DOD) of Jinding were fed ad libitum on four (4) iso-nitrogenous and iso-caloric diets (3000 Kcal ME/kg and 22% CP) having 3 replicates each. The diets were formulated using 20% rice bran (RB) or parboiled rice polish (PRP) with or without exogenous phytase (10g/kg). Ducklings were fed up to 28 days of age to observe the effect of RB and PRP based diet on the growth performance. Feeding of PRP based diet with enzyme resulted in increased live weight gain and feed efficiency. There was no difference in feed intake on both diets (p&gt;0.05). However, the formulating cost of PRP based diet was higher than that of RB based diet. Addition of enzyme promoted growth and feed efficiency but did not affect feed intake significantly during the experimental period and increased feed cost. Therefore, it appeared that the biological performance of PRP based diet with or without enzyme was better than that of RB based diet. However, the feed cost was less in RB based diet with or without phytase. Therefore, to formulate low cost diet, RB seemed to be superior over PRP, but for better growth performance PRP can be used in the diet of ducklings. In conclusion, the findings demonstrated that the PRP based diets with or without phytase was superior to RB based diets with or without phytase in terms of growth performance, but RB based diet was superior in terms of feed cost. Therefore, it appeared that increased growth performance cannot be a basis of using RB and PRP. Rather, costeffectiveness of feeding ducklings on RB and PRP based diet must be taken into account.Res. Agric., Livest. Fish.2(3): 445-451, December 2015

Nutrient requirements and low-cost balanced diets, based on seasonally available local feedstuffs, for local pigs on smallholder farms in Western Kenya.

Growth performance of pigs on smallholder farms in the tropics is low. Lack of feedstuffs, seasonal feed shortages, and feeding nutritionally unbalanced diets contribute to slow growth. Low-cost balanced diets are needed to improve pig performance. In this study, we estimated the nutrient requirements of local pigs on smallholder farms in Kenya and developed balanced low-cost diets using seasonally available local feedstuffs. Diets were formulated to provide pigs with 80% of the nutrient density in corn and soybean meal-based (reference) diets to minimize the cost per unit of energy and other nutrients. Estimated requirements for starting and growing pigs (8 to 35kg body weight) were as follows: digestible energy (DE) 2960kcal/kg of dry matter (DM), standardized ileal digestibility (SID) lysine 5.8g/kg of DM, calcium 2.8g/kg of DM, standardized total tract digestible (STTD) phosphorous 1.4g/kg of DM, and crude protein 85g/kg of DM. Nutrient requirements of local pigs on smallholder farms in Kenya were lower than those of exotic breed pigs raised in commercial settings. Seasonally available local feedstuffs were used to develop low-cost balanced diets. Twenty-two diets are presented based on season, cost, and feedstuff availability. This study has broad applicability as a case study of an approach that could be applied in other tropical regions in which smallholder pig keeping is practiced and where local feedstuffs for pigs are available seasonally.

Effects of dietary carbohydrate to lipid ratios on growth performance, digestive enzyme and hepatic carbohydrate metabolic enzyme activities of large yellow croaker (Larmichthys crocea)

An 8-week feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effect of dietary carbohydrate to lipid (CHO:L) ratios on growth performance, feed utilization, digestive enzymes and hepatic carbohydrate metabolic enzyme activities of large yellow croaker, Larmichthys crocea. Six isonitrogenous and isoenergetic diets (39.0% crude protein and 16.0MJkg−1 gross energy) were formulated to contain various CHO:L ratios which ranged from 0.39 to 5.97. Triplicate groups of 50 fish (initial weight 7.06±0.48g) were stocked in 18 floating net cages (1.5m×1.5m×2.0m), and were fed twice daily to apparent satiation for 8weeks. The results indicated that growth performance and feed utilization were significantly influenced by the dietary CHO:L ratios (P<0.05). Maximum weight gain (WG), specific growth rate (SGR), protein efficiency ratio (PER) and feed efficiency (FE) occurred at 1.34 dietary CHO:L ratios. There were no significant differences in VSI and HSI among all treatments, however, the lowest condition factor (CF) was observed at 0.39 dietary CHO:L ratios. Moisture, protein, and ash contents of whole body were not significantly affected by the dietary CHO:L ratios (P>0.05), and lipid content in whole body significantly decreased with dietary CHO:L ratios increasing from 0.39 to 1.69 (P>0.05). Hepatic glycogen and muscle glycogen significantly increased with dietary CHO:L ratios from 0.39 to 1.34 then plateaued from 1.34 to 5.97. Fish fed the 0.39 CHO:L ratio diet had higher cholesterol concentration in serum than those fed the diets containing 1.69, 3.00 and 5.97 dietary CHO:L ratios; the lowest glucose concentration in serum was observed at dietary 0.39 CHO:L ratio, however, there were no significant differences in triglyceride and total protein concentrations of serum among all diets. Amylase, pepsin and lipase activities were significantly influenced by the dietary CHO:L ratios, and maximum amylase activity occurred at the 1.34 CHO:L ratios. Glucokinase (GK), pyruvate kinase (PK), and phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) activities significantly increased with dietary CHO:L ratios increasing from 0.39 to 1.34, and then significantly decreased with further increase of dietary CHO:L ratios; no significant difference of phosphofructokinase (PFK), fructose-1,6-biphosphatase (FBPase) and glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase) activities was observed among all treatments. Based on weight gain, the optimal CHO:L ratio was determined to be 1.34 (approximately dietary 12.56% starch and 12.15% lipid) of dry diet for juvenile large yellow croaker. Statement of relevanceThe manuscript addresses the effect of dietary CHO:L ratios on growth performance, feed utilization and hepatic carbohydrate metabolic enzymes. Although this study investigated a common nutritional research topic, it still had somehow research originality because such nutritional topic has not been studied in large yellow croaker yet. The results give some valuable data for this marine fish. What's more, the information obtained from the present study would be helpful in developing low-cost diets for this species.

Does the importance of dietary costs for fruit and vegetable intake vary by socioeconomic position?

Evidence suggests that diets meeting recommendations for fruit and vegetable (F&V) intake are more costly. Dietary costs may be a greater constraint on the diet quality of people of lower socioeconomic position (SEP). The aim of this study was to examine whether dietary costs are more strongly associated with F&V intake in lower-SEP groups than in higher-SEP groups. Data on individual participants' education and income were available from a population-based, cross-sectional study of 10 020 British adults. F&V intake and dietary costs (GBP/d) were derived from a semi-quantitative FFQ. Dietary cost estimates were based on UK food prices. General linear models were used to assess associations between SEP, quartiles of dietary costs and F&V intake. Effect modification of SEP gradients by dietary costs was examined with interaction terms. Analysis demonstrated that individuals with lowest quartile dietary costs, low income and low education consumed less F&V than individuals with higher dietary costs, high income and high education. Significant interaction between SEP and dietary costs indicated that the association between dietary costs and F&V intake was stronger for less-educated and lower-income groups. That is, socioeconomic differences in F&V intake were magnified among individuals who consumed lowest-cost diets. Such amplification of socioeconomic inequalities in diet among those consuming low-cost diets indicates the need to address food costs in strategies to promote healthy diets. In addition, the absence of socioeconomic inequalities for individuals with high dietary costs suggests that high dietary costs can compensate for lack of other material, or psychosocial resources.

Can sea urchins benefit from an artificial diet? Physiological and histological assessment for echinoculture feasibility evaluation

In the Mediterranean sea, since the time of ancient Greece, the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus has been considered a delicacy, and as a consequence, the market demand has increased since the early 1970s, significantly causing a depletion of wild stock. For this reason, the interest in breeding sea urchins has widened over the last two decades and several formulated diets were developed. In order to identify a low-cost diet, which is able to promote both the maintenance and the gonadal growth of organisms in recirculating aquaculture system (RAS), we evaluated the food intake of three different diets: the first composed of macroalgae naturally present in the sea urchins collection site, a second diet based on maize and spinach and finally a diet based on pellet normally used in aquaculture. The results presented in this study demonstrated the good feasibility of a low-cost and easy-to-standardize diet, such as that based on maize and spinach, in rearing vulnerable species such as P. lividus in RAS.

Levels of crude protein in diets for pacu (piaractus mesopotamicus) from 150 to 400g reared in cages

A limiting factor in the production of aquaticorganisms refers to the formulation of low costdiets with protein sources that meet the nutritionalrequirements...

Validation of the Portuguese self-administered computerised 24-hour dietary recall among second-, third- and fourth-grade children.

Current methods for assessing children's dietary intake, such as interviewer-administered 24-h dietary recall (24-h DR), are time consuming and resource intensive. Self-administered instruments offer a low-cost diet assessment method for use with children. The present study assessed the validity of the Portuguese self-administered, computerised, 24-h DR (PAC24) against the observation of school lunch. Forty-one, 7-10-year-old children from two elementary schools, in Lisbon, were observed during school lunch followed by completion of the PAC24 the next day. Accuracy for reporting items was measured in terms of matches, intrusions and omissions; accuracy for reporting amounts was measured in terms of arithmetic and absolute differences for matches and amounts for omissions and intrusions; and accuracy for reporting items and amounts combined was measured in terms of total inaccuracy. The ratio of the estimated weight of food consumed with the actual weight consumed was calculated along with the limits of agreement using the method of Bland and Altman. Comparison of PAC24 against observations at the food level resulted in values of 67.0% for matches, 11.5% for intrusions and 21.5% for omissions. The mean for total inaccuracy was 3.44 servings. For amounts, accuracy was high for matches (-0.17 and 0.23 servings for arithmetic and absolute differences, respectively) and lower for omissions (0.61 servings) and intrusions (0.55 servings). PAC24 was found to under-estimate the weight of food on average by 32% of actual intake. PAC24 is a lower-burden procedure for both respondents and researchers and, with slight modification, comprises a promising method for assessing diet among children.

Níveis de proteína bruta em dietas para pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus) com 150 a 400g cultivados em tanques-rede

Um factor limitante na produção de organismos aquáticos refere à formulação de dietas de baixo custo com fontes de proteínas que satisfaçam as necessidades nutricionais dos animais. Portanto, este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar o desempenho e o crescimento do pacu (Piaractus mesopotamicus) cultivado em tanques-rede no reservatório de Itaipu. O peso médio inicial dos peixes foi de 150,5 ± 2,1g os quais foram distribuídos aleatoriamente em 20 tanques-rede (100 peixes/tanque) alimentados com cinco níveis de proteína bruta (PB) (18,5; 20,7; 23,7; 25,6 e 28,3 %), três vezes ao dia até a saciedade aparente. Avaliou-se o crescimento, composição muscular e perfil hematológico. Observou-se feito quadrático (p0,05). A derivação das equações indicaram que o percentual exigido de PB na dieta para juvenis de pacu foi de 25,8 %. Portanto, recomenda-se que as dietas para esta espécie, nestas condições de cultivo, devem ser formuladas com aproximadamente 26 % de PB para assegurar melhores condições de desempenho e crescimento.

Use of Plantain (Musa paradisiaca) Peels in Low Cost Diets for Enhancement of Growth and Carcass Quality of African Catfish

Green and yellow plantain (Musa paradisiaca) peels were used to replace yellow maize (Zea mays) in the diets of African catfish, Clarias gariepinus (5.52 ± 0.54 g) initial weight. Five treatments used were: T1 (control diet containing 100% maize), T2 (80% maize + 20% green peels), T3 (70% maize + 30% green peels), T4 (80% maize + 20% yellow peels), and T5 (70% maize + 30% yellow peels). After 70 days of feeding, growth performance was statistically the same in all treatments. There was significantly higher carcass protein in fish fed T2, T3, and T4 than fish fed T1 and T5 (P > 0.05). Supplementation of the plantain peels in the diets significantly increased mineral (Ca, Mg, Fe) and reduced fat and cholesterol contents of the fish. There were no differences in the white blood cells of fish in all the treatments. Economic estimation revealed that it would be most cost effective to produce the fish by using T2 (80% maize + 20% green peels). In summary, plantain peels can replace up to 30% of maize in African catfish diets.

Effects of 28% Protein Diets Differing in Quality on Channel Catfish Performance, Processing Traits, and Production Economics in a Multi-Batch System

Three 28% protein feeds (premium, standard, or a low-cost diet) were fed to channel catfish in a pond study to compare growth, production, and costs as a follow up to similar work with 32% protein feeds. Twelve 0.1-ha earthen ponds at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB) Aquaculture Research Station were stocked with carryover fish (0.39 kg mean weight) at 5,860 fish/ha and fingerling catfish (mean individual weight of 15.4 g) at 12,500 fish/ha. Total yield (gross and net) did not differ between fish fed the premium as compared to the standard diet, but that of the premium diet was significantly higher than that of fish fed the low-cost diet. The feed conversion ratio (FCR) did not differ between fish fed the premium and standard diets, but was lower than the FCR of fish fed the low-cost diet. There were no differences found in processing yields among treatments. Given the lower cost of the 28% standard diet and yields equivalent to those of the 28% premium diet, the 28% standard diet was economically preferable to the other diets tested.

Hypercholesterolemia and hepatic steatosis in mice fed on low-cost high-fat diet

To verify whether high-fat diet prepared from commercial diet plus chocolate, roasted peanuts and corn cookies induces hypercholesterolemia in mice and whether there is any hepatic involvement in this type of animal testing. Swiss mice received a high-fat diet for 15 and 30 days; plasma cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose rates were determined. Hepatic impairment was evaluated by histopathological analysis. Cholesterol levels increased 43% in animals treated with high-fat diet for 30 days. Further, histopathological analysis revealed that treatment of animals for 15 and 30 days produced hepatic steatosis and steatohepatitis, respectively. Experimental model is suitable for assessing the action of anti-hypercholesterolemia and the treatment of steatohepatitis.