Effect of Replacing Fishmeal with Soybean Meal on Growth, Feed Conversion and Carcass Composition of Fingerling Oreochromis niloticus (Nile Tilapia)

A feeding trial was conducted to replace the Fish Meal (FM) protein by Soybean Meal (SBM) protein in the feeds for fingerling Oreochromis niloticus (0.57±0.05g; 3.54±0.18 cm) Six practical diets (35% crude protein; 16.28 kJ g-1 gross energy) replacing 0, 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100% fish meal protein by soybean meal protein were prepared. The diets were fed to triplicate groups of fish near to satiation for 6 weeks. The live weight gain (LWG, 308.77-608.77%), protein retention efficiency (4.03-25.74%), specific growth rate (1.75-4.11%/day), feed conversion ratio (1.54-3.47), and protein efficiency ratio (0.82-1.86), in fish fed diets with 0, 20 and 40% replacement of fish meal with SBM did not show any significant differences. However, further replacement of fish meal by soybean meal beyond 40% resulted in significant fall in above parameters indicating that fish meal could be replace by soybean meal up to 40%, which would be useful in formulating cost-effective commercial feeds for the intensive culture of this fish

Effect of Replacing Fishmeal with Ground nut Cake on Growth, Feed Conversion and Carcass Composition of Fingerling Oreochromis niloticus (Nile Tilapia)

In this study, firstly proximate composition and fatty acid profile of oilseed meal used in fish feeds were analyzed and then feasibility of replacing fishmeal with ground nut cake for Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus fingerling by replacing 0% control diet, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80% and 100% fishmeal protein by ground nut oil cake protein was worked out. Fish were stocked at the rate of 20 per tanks in triplicate groups. Oreochromis niloticus fingerlings (0.57±0.02g; 3.49±0.12 cm) were fed the experimental diets near to satiation for 6 weeks. Diets used in this experiment contained 35% CP and 16.53 kJ.g-1 GE, replacement of fish meal by groundnut oil cake on protein to protein basis was found to be feasible up to 20% as evident by insignificant differences (p<0.05) among the absolute weight gain (2.56±0.05 g/fish), feed conversion ratio (1.68±0.01), protein efficiency ratio (1.70±0.02) and specific growth rate (3.45±0.02%) of fish fed diet 2. However, further replacement of fish meal by ground nut cake protein beyond 20% resulted in a marked decrease (P<0.05) in above parameters

Dietary Phenylalanine Requirement of Fingerling Oreochromis Niloticus (Linnaeus)

This study was conducted to determine the dietary phenylalanine for fingerling Oreochromis niloticus by conducting an 8 weeks experiment in a flow-through system (1-1.5L/min) at 28°C water temperature. Phenylalanine requirement was determined by feeding six casein-gelatin based amino acid test diets (350 g kg– 1 CP; 16.72 kJ g–1 GE) with graded levels of phenylalanine (4, 6.5, 9, 11.5, 14 and 16.5 g kg–1 dry diet) at a constant level (10 g kg–1) of dietary tyrosine to triplicate groups of fish (1.65±0.09 g) near to satiation. Absolute weight gain (AWG g fish-1), feed conversion ratio (FCR), protein deposition (PD%), phenylalanine retention efficiency (PRE%) and RNA/DNA ratio was found to improve with the increasing concentrations of phenylalanine and peaked at 11.5 g kg–1 of dry diet. Quadratic regression analysis of AWG, PD and PRE against varying levels of dietary phenylalanine indicated the requirement at 12.1, 11.6, and 12.7 g kg–1 dry diet, respectively and the inclusion of phenylalanine at 12.1 g kg–1 of dry diet, corresponding to 34.6 g kg–1 dietary protein is optimum for this fish. Based on above data, total aromatic amino acid requirement of fingerling O. niloticus was found to be 20.6 g kg–1 (12.1 g kg–1 phenylalanine+8.5 g kg–1 tyrosine) of dry diet, corresponding to 58.8 g kg–1 of dietary protein

Molecular evolutionary and structural analysis of familial exudative vitreoretinopathy associated FZD4 gene

Abstract Background Frizzled family members belong to G-protein coupled receptors and encode proteins accountable for cell signal transduction, cell proliferation and cell death. Members of Frizzled receptor family are considered to have critical roles in causing various forms of cancer, cardiac hypertrophy, familial exudative vitreoretinopathy (FEVR) and schizophrenia. Results This study investigates the evolutionary and structural aspects of Frizzled receptors, with particular focus on FEVR associated FZD4 gene. The phylogenetic tree topology suggests the diversification of Frizzled receptors at the root of metazoans history. Moreover, comparative structural data reveals that FEVR associated missense mutations in FZD4 effect the common protein region (amino acids 495–537) through a well-known phenomenon called epistasis. This critical protein region is present at the carboxyl-terminal domain and encompasses the K-T/S-XXX-W, a PDZ binding motif and S/T-X-V PDZ recognition motif. Conclusion Taken together these results demonstrate that during the course of evolution, FZD4 has acquired new functions or epistasis via complex patter of gene duplications, sequence divergence and conformational remodeling. In particular, amino acids 495–537 at the C-terminus region of FZD4 protein might be crucial in its normal function and/or pathophysiology. This critical region of FZD4 protein may offer opportunities for the development of novel therapeutics approaches for human retinal vascular disease