Apparent digestibility coefficients of plant feed ingredients for olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus)

This study was designed to determine the apparent digestibility coefficients of soybean meal, soy protein concentrate (SPC), soy protein isolate (SPI), rapeseed meal (RSM), pea protein concentrate (PPC), wheat gluten meal (WGM) and wheat flour (WF) for olive flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus. A reference diet (RF) was formulated to meet the nutrient requirements of olive flounder with 1% chromic oxide (Cr2O3) as an inert indicator. Test diets were prepared to contain 70% RF and 30% of the test ingredient. Olive flounder, averaging 150 ± 8.0 g, was cultured in 400-L fiberglass tanks at a density of 25 fish per tank. Fecal collection columns were attached to each tank. Fecal samples were obtained from triplicate groups of fish for 4 weeks. Dry matter digestibility of SPC (75%) and WGM (76%) were significantly higher than the other test ingredients. Protein digestibility of SPC (85%), PPC (88%) and WGM (89%) were significantly higher than the other test ingredients, and protein digestibility of RSM (77%) and WF (76%) was lower than the other ingredients tested. Lipid digestibility of SPC (72%) and SPI (69%) were significantly higher than the other test ingredients. Energy digestibility of SPC (85%) and WGM (82%) were significantly higher than that of others tested ingredients. The availability of amino acids in WGM was generally higher than in other plant-feed ingredients. Therefore, SPC and WGM were seems to be efficient as potential protein sources for olive flounder compared to other tested ingredients. Overall, findings of the current study may assist in more efficient and economical formulation of diets using plant feed ingredients for olive flounder.