Inclusion of Hydrolyzed Feather Meal in Diets for Giant River Prawn (<i>Macrobrachium rosenbergii</i>) During the Nursery Phase: Effects on Growth, Digestive Enzymes, and Antioxidant Status

Inclusion of Hydrolyzed Feather Meal in Diets for Giant River Prawn (<i>Macrobrachium rosenbergii</i>) During the Nursery Phase: Effects on Growth, Digestive Enzymes, and Antioxidant Status

We evaluated the inclusion of hydrolyzed feather meal (HFM) as a partial replacement for fishmeal in diets for <i>Macrobrachium rosenbergii</i> post-larvae (PL) over a 32-day nursery feeding trial. Five experimental diets with increasing HFM levels (control, 1.5%, 3.0%, 4.5%, and 6.0%) w...

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Main Authors: Eduardo Luis Cupertino Ballester, Angela Trocino, Cecília de Souza Valente, Marlise Mauerwerk, Milena Cia Retcheski, Luisa Helena Cazarolli, Caio Henrique do Nascimento Ferreira, Francesco Bordignon
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-08-01
Series:Applied Sciences
Subjects:
alternative protein source
feed ingredients
fishmeal replacement
prawn farming
prawn nutrition
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/15/15/8627
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Summary:We evaluated the inclusion of hydrolyzed feather meal (HFM) as a partial replacement for fishmeal in diets for <i>Macrobrachium rosenbergii</i> post-larvae (PL) over a 32-day nursery feeding trial. Five experimental diets with increasing HFM levels (control, 1.5%, 3.0%, 4.5%, and 6.0%) were tested. Survival rates ranged from 73.3 ± 5.44% to 83.3 ± 3.84% without significant differences among groups. Dietary HFM inclusion levels above 3.0% significantly improved prawn performance, including final weight (up to 2.18-fold higher than control), length (1.13-fold), antenna length (1.18-fold), biomass gain (2.14-fold), and feed conversion ratio (1.59-fold lower). Prawn-fed diets at 6.0% HFM showed the highest performance among all experimental groups. No significant effects were observed on antioxidant biomarkers or digestive enzymes in prawns hepatopancreas, which suggests no imbalance in the antioxidant system or impairment of digestive function. Likewise, carcass proximate composition remained stable across experimental groups. These findings suggest that HFM at 3.0–6.0% dietary inclusion levels is a potential alternative to fishmeal in nursery-phase diets for <i>M. rosernbergii</i> PL, promoting prawn growth and welfare and maintaining health and carcass quality. Notably, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first study demonstrating the potential effective use of HFM in feeding the nursery phase of <i>M. rosernbergii</i>.
ISSN:2076-3417

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