Digestibility of Nutrients in Cassava Leaf Protein Concentrate by Oreochromis niloticus (Cichlidae) and Clarias gariepinus (Clariidae)

Abstract

Abstract Two separate trials were conducted to determine the digestibility of nutrients in cassava leaf protein concentrate for Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) and African catfish. Fresh leaves of an improved cassava variety in Nigeria (cultivar TME 419), were harvested and processed into cassava leaf protein concentrate (CLPC); and was chemically analyzed for nutrient and antinutrient compositions using standard techniques. The apparent digestibility of dry diets TD1, TD2 (300g crude protein, 80g crude lipid, 17.5 MJ gross energy/Kg), CD3 and CD4 (400g crude protein, 120g crude lipid, 18 MJ gross energy/Kg), were determined O. niloticus) (6.3±0.5g) and C. gariepinus) (8.4±0.7g), respectively. The test diets (TD2, CD4) contained CLPC as total replacement for soybean meal (SBM) in control diets (TD1, CD3) (providing 80% of total dietary protein). Fingerlings were assigned in triplicate to treatments (60 fish/treatment) in a complete randomized design (60 fish/treatment) and fed to apparent satiation twice daily for 14 days. Water temperature (26.7-27.4°C), dissolved oxygen (5.78-6.94 mg/L) and pH (6.12-7.18) were within recommended ranges for tilapia and catfish culture. There were significant differences (P <0.05) in ether extracts and gross energy digestibility between diets TD1 and TD2 while crude fibre digestibility between diets CD3 and CD4 differed significantly (P <0.05). Apparent digestibility of dry matter, crude protein, and ash were similar (P>0.05) in tilapia and catfish. Nutrients in CLPC were as efficiently utilized as those in SBM by O. niloticus and C. gariepinus