Project Number: 5320-31000-007-03
Project Type: Grant

Start Date: Sep 27, 2007
End Date: Mar 19, 2009

Objective:
The overall objective is to obtain information that will enable the development of improved feeds for Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei and the Pacific threadfin fish Polydactylus sexfilis. Sub objectives are to: 1) establish dietary requirements for key nutritional components and energy relationships for maximizing growth and feed utilization of shrimp and threadfin, 2) develop processing parameters which contribute to production of feeds that meet the nutrient requirements of shrimp and threadfin, 3) determine the nutrient availability, digestibility, and anti-nutritional factors associated with ingredients and the changes that occur due to processing and diet formulation, and 4) establish the product quality of cultured fish and shrimp reared on newly developed feeds.

Approach:
The nutrient requirements will focus on the impact of methionine and lysine on shrimp and finfish development under intensive clear-water and outdoor green-water culture conditions. The effect of feed processing parameters of grinding, mixing, agglomeration (pelleting, extrusion cooking, and conditioning), drying, and storage will be investigated. The standard reference diet for shrimp will be used as a base and subsequently refined. The same will be done for threadfin fish. The ingredient characterization will focus on examining the ability of plant protein sources, such as corn gluten meal and soybean meal, to replace fishmeal in diets for shrimp and threadfin fish; and to investigate the effects of supplemental astaxanthinin shrimp diets. The effect of the best plant oil diet (e.g. soybean oil/algal oil) will be evaluated in comparison with the control diet for assessing quality and sensory parameters. The parameters measured will be fillet yield, proximate composition, amino acid and fatty acid content sensory qualities such as color and texture. Documents Grant with Oceanic Institute.