FISHERIES RESEARCH INSTITUTE,MOA,TAIWAN

An eight-week feeding experiment was conducted in flow-through concrete tanks to evaluate the dietary effects of fermented soybean meal (FSB), at graded levels (0, 12, 24, 36, 48 and 60%), on growth performance, body composition, and hematological characteristics of silver perch with an initial average weight of 48.3 g. The supplementary efficacy of crystalline methionine and lysine added into the 60% FSB diet was also investigated. The results showed that weight gain, feed efficiency and the protein efficiency ratio declined in groups of fish fed higher levels of dietary FSB. The methionine and lysine supplementation significantly improved fish growth performance. While moisture, crude protein and lipid concentrations of the muscle fillet and moisture, crude protein and ash concentrations of the whole fish body were not different (p > 0.05) in fish fed diets with different FSB levels, lipid concentration of the whole body in fish was low as high FSB levels given. Lower intraperitoneal fat ratio and viscerosomatic index were also found in the fish fed higher levels of dietary FSB. Hematocrit value, blood hemoglobin, and plasma triacylglycerols and cholesterol were significantly affected by the FSB and crystalline amino acids supplementation. The results of growth trial disclosed that including FSB up to 24% in diet did not have an adverse effect on growth of silver perch. Also, results in body proximate composition, biological measurements and hematological characteristics indicated that the level of dietary FSB affected the lipid metabolism and deposition in the silver perch.