INCLUSION OF A HIGH PROTEIN DISTILLERS DRIED GRAINS PRODUCT IN NILE TILAPIA DIETS

The present study was carried out in the fish laboratory in the Regional Center for Food and Feed (RCFF), Agricultural Research Center, Giza, Egypt. And designed to evaluate the nutritional value of corn co-products from ethanol production, corn distillers dried grains with soluble (DDGS) and a high protein of corn distillers dried grains product (HPDDGS) (by reducing the percent of soybean meal and yellow corn in tested diets), on growth performance, and feed utilization, of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). Seven experimental diets were formulated Control (Diet 1) doesn?t contains both DDGS and HPDDGS, (Diet2 ? Diet4) to replace DDGS at the rate of 15, 30, and 45% instead of soybean meal and yellow corn. (Diet5 ? Diet7) to replace HPDDGS with supplementation lysine at the rate of 15, 30, and 45% instead of soybean meal, The all experimental diets were isonitrogenus (30% crude protein) and isocaloric (430 kcal /100 g diet), the seven diets were fed to 7 tilapia fingerling groups with initial weight of 2.25 g/ fish. Each group contained of 3 aquaria. The experiment duration was 12 weeks and the fish were fed at a rate of 4% of fish body weight daily. The daily allowances were fed at 5 meals. The results showed that, weight gains and feed utilization of tilapia fingerlings fed (DDGS)15% and (DDGS)30% diets were not different compared to (control) diets, but (Oreochromis niloticus) fed (DDGS) 45% diets gained less weight than those fed control (P < 0.05). The results of this experiment suggest that DDGS is a good replacement for yellow corn and soybean meal, and can be used up to 30% in the diet to maintain the growth performance and also fish group given HPDDGS diet levels (15%HPDDGS, 30%HPDDGS, 45%HPDDGS), with lysine supplementation showed better in the Growth performance and feed utilization when compare with the control diet. HPDDGS is a good alternative protein source and can be used up to 45% or maybe more with lysine supplementation. No effects were observed of both DDGS and HPDDGS levels on water quality.