13.2.Soybean meal

Unit 13 - Non-conventional feed ingredients and anti-nutritional factors

13.2.Soybean meal

Soybean meal appears to be a reasonably good feed component for aquaculture diets which contain about 40-45 % protein. It has a lysine content that approaches that of fishmeal, but it is deficient in the sulphur-containing amino acids and tryptophan. Because of these amino acid deficiencies, soybean meal can not be used as the only source of protein and is generally compounded with other feed-stuffs when it is used in aquaculture rations. Although the inclusion of soybean meal in fish diets presents no manufacturing problems but problems relating to palatability and availability of nutrients have been encountered. It is believed that part of the problem is due to the phytate content of soybeans. Several investigators have demonstrated that heating soybean meal rather severely not only increases its acceptability to fish, but also improves the availability of nutrients which is accomplished by deactivating trypsin inhibitors.

Last modified: Tuesday, 30 August 2011, 9:18 AM