Nutrient content of various water-based alternative protein sources as candidates for raw material feed in aquaculture

Abstract

In aquaculture, fish meal is the primary feed ingredient. The rapid expansion of the aquaculture industry drives up the demand for fish meal, leading to a rise in its price, which in turn escalates aquaculture's operational costs. The purpose of this research is to evaluate water-based alternative protein sources as candidates for raw material feed in aquaculture. Microalga (Tetraselmis chuii, Spirulina platensis, and Chaetoceros calcitrans), biofloc, and klekap were evaluated using proximate analysis, amino acid analysis, and fatty acid analysis. The close study showed that the microalgae T. chuii meal (TcM), S. platensis meal (SpM), and biofloc meal (BFM) all had more than 20% protein and the same amount of amino acids as fish meal and soybean meal. BFM and C. calcitrans meal (CcM) contain essential fatty acids required by both freshwater (linoleic fatty acid) and marine fish (EPA and DHA). Meanwhile, TcM, which was the only raw material, contained linolenic acid but no DHA, whereas SpM and klekap meal (KM) contained only linoleic fatty acids.