Use of Agro-Industrial Waste (Brewer's Dried Grain) to Substitute Maize in the Diet of African Catfish Clarias gariepinus

Abstract

Abstract

This study was carried out to assess the nutrient utilization and growth response of juvenile catfish fed diet with maize replaced with agroindustrial waste. One hundred and fifty Clarias gariepinus juvenile (5.21±0.14g) were randomly assigned to five diets formulated such that brewery waste replaced maize at 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40%, respectively and fed at 5% body weight. Evaluation of nutrient utilization and growth parameters of the experimental fish followed standard methods as based on feed intake, weight gain, feed conversion ratio, specific growth rate, relative growth rate, daily weight gain, gross feed conversion efficiency, protein efficiency ratio and evaluation of the economic cost. The result showed that there was no significant difference (p>0.05) in the weight gain of the fish among treatments. Control (0%) diet had the highest mean weight gain of 9.69g while the least weight gain was obtained from 20% dietary treatment which recorded a value of 7.40g. This experiment revealed that brewer's dried grain can be tolerated by C. gariepinusjuveniles, there was weight gain at 40% growth rate. Feed intake was affected by the brewer's waste that replaced maize and fish performed well even at the highest level of replacement (40%). The lowest cost for the production of a kg weight gain was from the treatment with replaced maize grain with 40%. Considering the performances of the experimental fish and the cost per kg weight gain, it is advantageous to use brewer's waste as an additional feed in the feed mix or a sole supplementary feed. The study has shown that agroindustrial by-product can replace maize in the diet of Clarias gariepinus.