Effect of replacing fish meal with soybean meal on growth, feed utilization and nitrogen and phosphorus excretion on rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

The effect of replacing fish meal with soybean meal (SBM) pretreated with phytase on feeds of juvenile rainbow trout was evaluated in a 90-day feeding trial. The rainbow trout (initial body weight, 4.01 +/- A 0.02 g) were fed five isonitrogenous (crude protein, 44.97%) and isolipidic (crude lipid, 13.42%) feeds. Diets were formulated to contain phytase-pretreated SBM replacing 0, 20, 40, 60 and 80% of fish meal protein, respectively. The results showed that there was no significant difference in weight gain (WG) among fish fed S0, S20, S40 and S60 diets; however, a significant reduction of this variable occurred when 80% of fish meal protein was replaced by phytase-treated SBM (P < 0.05). Similarly, specific growth rate and protein efficiency ratio had a similar trend with WG. Apparent digestibility coefficient (ADC) of protein and lipid in the S80 diet was significantly lower than that of the other diets, and the ADC of phosphorus significantly increased with the increase of dietary phytase-treated SBM level. No significant differences among treatments were detected for moisture, protein, lipid and ash content in whole body and muscle samples. Nitrogen and phosphorus excretion indicated that fish meal replacement by phytase-treated SBM led to an increase in nitrogen excretion, but led to a reduction in total phosphorus excretion. The results of the present study show that 60% of fish meal could be replaced by phytase-treated SBM in diets of juvenile rainbow trout without compromising weight gain or feed efficiency. A quadratic equation according to regression analysis of weight gain against dietary phytase-treated SBM level indicated that the optimal level of dietary phytase-treated SBM replacement for maximum growth was 26.90%.