Substitution of fish meal by fermented soybean meal affects the growth performance and flesh quality of Japanese seabass (Lateolabrax japonicus)

• Published in: Animal feed science and technology 2017-07, Vol.229, p.1-12
• Main Authors: Liang, X.F., Hu, L., Dong, Y.C., Wu, X.F., Qin, Y.C., Zheng, Y.H., Shi, D.D., Xue, M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Essential amino acid; Fermented soybean meal; Fish meal; Flesh quality; Growth performance; Japanese seabass
• ISSN: 0377-8401; 1873-2216
• DOI: 10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2017.03.006

•Fermented soybean meal (FSM) could replace no more than 25% of dietary FM under ideal digestible amino acid profile.•The adaptation and the compensatory growth could make higher growth potential for FSM50 group.•Flesh quality of FSM50 could be lower than that of fish fed FM and FSM25 diets.•NIR classification could be used as a technique for flesh quality evaluation. A 16-week growth trial was conducted to study the effects of replacing dietary super prime fish meal (FM) with fermented soybean meal (FSM) in Japanese seabass (Lateolabrax japonicus). The outcome of the trial was assessed using the digestible optimum amino acid (DIAA) profile of growth performance and flesh quality of the fish (initial body weight=13.3g±0.1g). Four diets that were isoenergetic and isonitrogenous were formulated. A commercial formula containing 36% FM was assigned as the control diet (named here FM). In the other 3 diets, 25%, 50% or 75% of the FM was replaced with FSM, in which lysine (Lys), methionine (Met), and threonine (Thr) were balanced as in the control diet using crystallized amino acids (these diets were named FSM25, FSM50 and FSM75, respectively). Fish were sampled at 8 and 16 weeks. Flesh quality clustering analysis was conducted by Near Infrared (NIR) Spectrometry. The analyses showed that the feeding rate, specific growth rate, feed conversion ratio, protein productive value, energy productive value, and body composition did not differ between the FM and FSM25 groups (P>0.05); however, both groups performed significantly better than the other groups (P