When it comes to providing protein to livestock, high quality fishmeal leads the charge.
The latest report from the Marine Ingredients Organization (IFFO) finds that piglets weaned on super fishmeal outperformed and outgrew piglets fed other feeds such as average-quality fishmeal, soybean meal, fermented soybean meal, linseed meal and fermented linseed meal.
Researchers from the China Agricultural University conducted six replicates with each of the six protein sources on eight piglets, running from the 26th day after birth to the 53rd day. Super fishmeal topped the other protein sources in average daily gain for the piglets, while linseed meal brought up the rear; in terms of feed-conversion ratios, those results were inverted. Fermentation of the plant protein sources did seem to better their odds, researchers noted. However, fishmeal of both lower and higher quality tended to produce the heaviest and healthiest pigs on the lowest feed conversion ratios.
“There can be a significant difference in the palatability and amino acid digestibility in piglets diets depending on the protein source and the processing undertaken,” the IFFO wrote on the importance of utilizing protein-rich feed for pigs. “Anti-nutritional compounds are found in many vegetable proteins and attempts are being made to reduce these to improve piglet performance.”
The director of IFFO’s China project concluded that “research like this has continued to demonstrate the vital importance of fishmeal in feed and we hope to carry out further studies in the future to determine the optimum nutritional feed.”
The Fishmeal Information Network lists the following benefits of using fishmeal to feed livestock:
