Evaluation of Alternative Dietary Ingredients as a Sustainable and Ecological Solution for Meagre (<i>Argyrosomus regius</i>) Production in Earthen Ponds

The aquaculture sector is developing sustainability measures to address resource limitations and environmental concerns. A key strategy is replacing fishmeal and fish oil with alternatives that can equally sustain fish health, growth, and water quality. This study compared a standard diet (STD) to a...

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Main Authors: Ana Catarina Matias, Hugo Quental-Ferreira, Jorge Dias, Margarida Saavedra, Narcisa Maria Bandarra, Ravi Luna Araújo, Margarida Gamboa, Florbela Soares, Pedro Pousão-Ferreira
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-12-01
Series:Fishes
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2410-3888/9/12/517
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author Ana Catarina Matias
Hugo Quental-Ferreira
Jorge Dias
Margarida Saavedra
Narcisa Maria Bandarra
Ravi Luna Araújo
Margarida Gamboa
Florbela Soares
Pedro Pousão-Ferreira
author_facet Ana Catarina Matias
Hugo Quental-Ferreira
Jorge Dias
Margarida Saavedra
Narcisa Maria Bandarra
Ravi Luna Araújo
Margarida Gamboa
Florbela Soares
Pedro Pousão-Ferreira
author_sort Ana Catarina Matias
collection DOAJ
description The aquaculture sector is developing sustainability measures to address resource limitations and environmental concerns. A key strategy is replacing fishmeal and fish oil with alternatives that can equally sustain fish health, growth, and water quality. This study compared a standard diet (STD) to an alternative diet (ALT) containing sustainable ingredients, such as plant-based proteins and animal by-products, for meagre raised in earthen ponds within a polyculture system. Over 150 days, 5400 meagre juveniles (174.9 ± 32.8 g) were fed these diets. Fish on the ALT diet showed superior growth, likely due to higher dietary protein content and reduced protein degradation in liver and muscle, leading to increased protein content and reduced levels of dry matter, lipid, ash, energy, and phosphorous. While muscle cohesiveness was affected, fiber area and density were unchanged. ALT-fed fish exhibited higher saturated (SFA) and polyunsaturated (PUFA) fatty acids, reflecting the diet. Water quality indicators, including ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, and phosphates, were similar across diets, though chlorophyll <i>a</i> was higher in ponds with STD-fed fish. Overall, the ALT diet emerges as a sustainable alternative to the STD diet, maintaining or enhancing protein levels while reducing fishmeal usage. This approach effectively supports meagre growth and fillet quality without significant additional environmental impact.
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spelling doaj-art-654e752901c44b07979f71925b0ddecd2025-08-20T02:53:41ZengMDPI AGFishes2410-38882024-12-0191251710.3390/fishes9120517Evaluation of Alternative Dietary Ingredients as a Sustainable and Ecological Solution for Meagre (<i>Argyrosomus regius</i>) Production in Earthen PondsAna Catarina Matias0Hugo Quental-Ferreira1Jorge Dias2Margarida Saavedra3Narcisa Maria Bandarra4Ravi Luna Araújo5Margarida Gamboa6Florbela Soares7Pedro Pousão-Ferreira8EPPO—Aquaculture Research Station, IPMA—Portuguese Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere, Av. Parque Natural da Ria Formosa, s/n, 8700-194 Olhão, PortugalEPPO—Aquaculture Research Station, IPMA—Portuguese Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere, Av. Parque Natural da Ria Formosa, s/n, 8700-194 Olhão, PortugalSparos Lda., Área Empresarial de Marim, Lote C, 8700-221 Olhão, PortugalDivAV—Aquaculture, Upgrading and Bioprospection Division, IPMA—Portuguese Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere, Av. Alfredo Magalhães Ramalho, 6, 1495-165 Algés, PortugalDivAV—Aquaculture, Upgrading and Bioprospection Division, IPMA—Portuguese Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere, Av. Alfredo Magalhães Ramalho, 6, 1495-165 Algés, PortugalEPPO—Aquaculture Research Station, IPMA—Portuguese Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere, Av. Parque Natural da Ria Formosa, s/n, 8700-194 Olhão, PortugalEPPO—Aquaculture Research Station, IPMA—Portuguese Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere, Av. Parque Natural da Ria Formosa, s/n, 8700-194 Olhão, PortugalEPPO—Aquaculture Research Station, IPMA—Portuguese Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere, Av. Parque Natural da Ria Formosa, s/n, 8700-194 Olhão, PortugalEPPO—Aquaculture Research Station, IPMA—Portuguese Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere, Av. Parque Natural da Ria Formosa, s/n, 8700-194 Olhão, PortugalThe aquaculture sector is developing sustainability measures to address resource limitations and environmental concerns. A key strategy is replacing fishmeal and fish oil with alternatives that can equally sustain fish health, growth, and water quality. This study compared a standard diet (STD) to an alternative diet (ALT) containing sustainable ingredients, such as plant-based proteins and animal by-products, for meagre raised in earthen ponds within a polyculture system. Over 150 days, 5400 meagre juveniles (174.9 ± 32.8 g) were fed these diets. Fish on the ALT diet showed superior growth, likely due to higher dietary protein content and reduced protein degradation in liver and muscle, leading to increased protein content and reduced levels of dry matter, lipid, ash, energy, and phosphorous. While muscle cohesiveness was affected, fiber area and density were unchanged. ALT-fed fish exhibited higher saturated (SFA) and polyunsaturated (PUFA) fatty acids, reflecting the diet. Water quality indicators, including ammonia, nitrites, nitrates, and phosphates, were similar across diets, though chlorophyll <i>a</i> was higher in ponds with STD-fed fish. Overall, the ALT diet emerges as a sustainable alternative to the STD diet, maintaining or enhancing protein levels while reducing fishmeal usage. This approach effectively supports meagre growth and fillet quality without significant additional environmental impact.https://www.mdpi.com/2410-3888/9/12/517fish nutritionsustainabilityenvironmentplant-based ingredientsanimal by-productsland-based aquaculture
spellingShingle Ana Catarina Matias
Hugo Quental-Ferreira
Jorge Dias
Margarida Saavedra
Narcisa Maria Bandarra
Ravi Luna Araújo
Margarida Gamboa
Florbela Soares
Pedro Pousão-Ferreira
Evaluation of Alternative Dietary Ingredients as a Sustainable and Ecological Solution for Meagre (<i>Argyrosomus regius</i>) Production in Earthen Ponds
Fishes
fish nutrition
sustainability
environment
plant-based ingredients
animal by-products
land-based aquaculture
title Evaluation of Alternative Dietary Ingredients as a Sustainable and Ecological Solution for Meagre (<i>Argyrosomus regius</i>) Production in Earthen Ponds
title_full Evaluation of Alternative Dietary Ingredients as a Sustainable and Ecological Solution for Meagre (<i>Argyrosomus regius</i>) Production in Earthen Ponds
title_fullStr Evaluation of Alternative Dietary Ingredients as a Sustainable and Ecological Solution for Meagre (<i>Argyrosomus regius</i>) Production in Earthen Ponds
title_full_unstemmed Evaluation of Alternative Dietary Ingredients as a Sustainable and Ecological Solution for Meagre (<i>Argyrosomus regius</i>) Production in Earthen Ponds
title_short Evaluation of Alternative Dietary Ingredients as a Sustainable and Ecological Solution for Meagre (<i>Argyrosomus regius</i>) Production in Earthen Ponds
title_sort evaluation of alternative dietary ingredients as a sustainable and ecological solution for meagre i argyrosomus regius i production in earthen ponds
topic fish nutrition
sustainability
environment
plant-based ingredients
animal by-products
land-based aquaculture
url https://www.mdpi.com/2410-3888/9/12/517
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