Aquaculture America 2023

February 23 - 26, 2023

New Orleans, Louisiana USA

EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT SOYBEAN PROTEIN SOURCES ON GROWTH PERFORMANCE, FEED UTILIZATION EFFICIENCY, INTESTINAL HISTOLOGY, AND PHYSIOLOGICAL GENE EXPRESSION OF PACIFIC WHITE SHRIMP Litopenaeus vannamei

Khanh Q. Nguyen*, Adela N. Araujo, Trenton L. Corby, Leila M. Strebel, Melanie A. Rhodes, Timothy J. Bruce, D. Allen Davis

 

*School of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Aquatic Sciences

Auburn University

Auburn, AL 36849,

kqn0001@auburn.edu

 



This study aimed to evaluate the impacts of different soybean meal protein sources, which were the products of fermented, fractionated, and expeller-extruded processes, on the growth performance, feed utilization efficiency, intestinal histology, and physiological gene expression in white shrimp. The trial was conducted in a green water recirculation system with the stocking density at 30 shrimp/ tank, at an initial weight of 0.42 ± 0.01 g (Mean ± SEM) over an 8-week period.  A total of nine experimental diets were evaluated. This included a diet containing animal-based primarily animal-based proteins (17.7% fishmeal and 17.7% poultry meal) and no soybean meal along with a basal diet containing 48% soybean meal and 6% fishmeal. The SBM was then replaced (50% and 100%) on an isonitrogenous basis with BrightDay, Soycomil PE, Hamlet HP 300. Additionally, 1 diet contained 100% replacement using expeller-extruded soybean meal. All growth metrics in the trial, with the exception of survival rate (p>0.05), showed significant differences among treatments (p<0.001). Furthermore, we observed trends concerning feeding utilization efficiency with fermented BrightDay products having significantly higher phosphorus retention (p<0.001). Protein retention, however, showed no discernible differences other than for the fractionated Soycomil PE product with 100% replacement. The histology and gene expression analysis are under investigation for enteritis and physiological gene expression. Results indicate that high inclusion levels do not guarantee a good development performance for shrimp, despite the fact that fractionated and expeller-extruded can be used as a protein source in shrimp diets. At the same time, fermented soybean meal, especially at 50% replacement, is a viable protein source and can be considered a feasible animal-based diet alternative. Therefore, additional studies on various plant-based protein sources are required to improve the dietary matrix and diversify the source of the components for improved animal development performance.