The effect of using different levels of tilapia by-product meal in broiler diets

The tilapia industry has grown significantly. Much waste is generated by the industry due to the fact that only the myomere muscles are removed and sold for human consumption. This portion constitutes approximately 36% of the entire fish, leaving 64% of the fish as waste lost during the various processing operations. This waste from the tilapia processing plant has the potential of being an alternative protein source in broiler rations. The objective of this study was to measure the effect of substituting different levels of tilapia by-product meal (TBM) for soybean meal (SBM) in broiler diets. For the experiment 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 50% of the crude protein contributed by SBM in broiler diets was substituted with crude protein from TBM. A control and five levels of TBM were used in a corn-soybean-based diet and fed to chicks from 0 to 42 d of age. Chicks were identified and randomly allocated in a randomized complete block design. Body weight, cumulative feed consumption, feed conversion ratio, and mortality were determined on a weekly basis. At processing, carcass weights and yields were determined on a prechilled basis. Results showed that chicks fed 10, 20, and 30% TBM had significantly (P < 0.05) higher BW and feed consumption and improved feed conversion from 14 to 28 d of age compared to the other treatments. No significant differences were found for the remaining 35 and 42 d BW, feed consumption, feed conversions, mortalities, or carcass weights or yields for any of the treatments. In conclusion, the results showed that TBM could be used in broiler diets for up to 50% of the crude protein contributed by SBM.