Fish farming and shrimp farming in Brazil have gained prominence due to their high productive potential, mainly due to the abundance of water on the continent and favorable production conditions. However, we come from a time when animal feed accounts for approximately 80% of the total cost, with protein being the most expensive component and the main nutrient necessary for the maintenance and growth of fish and shrimp, where insufficient protein intake can result in reduced growth and survival.
The inclusion of protein in fish and shrimp feed depends heavily on the growth stage, size, quality of dietary protein (essential amino acid profiles and digestibility), availability of alternative food sources in the environment, environmental parameters, and culture management. Generally, commercial shrimp feeds contain 30 to 501 TP3T of crude protein, mainly composed of animal protein such as fishmeal, shrimp meal, and squid meal—ingredients with excellent nutritional value and palatability, but which are expensive and not always commercially available. Therefore, the search for alternative ingredients to animal protein in feed becomes an essential business strategy.
Soy protein concentrate (SPC) has emerged as an excellent source of nutrition for fish and shrimp. It is characterized by containing between 57 and 601g of crude protein in dry matter, a level similar to that found in fishmeal, making it excellent for formulating feeds that require high protein content. Furthermore, it has an adequate amino acid balance, with high digestibility and good palatability. Its large-scale production allows for a stable supply, constituting a sustainable source to replace marine animal protein.
The process of obtaining CPS involves removing the oil and the non-protein fraction soluble in water through washing with ethanol or hexane, thus extracting the indigestible sugars. Washing with an alcoholic solution promotes the removal and denaturation of antinutritional factors, phytohormones, and the elimination of residual lipids, significant advantages over soybean meal. It presents amino acid bioavailability and the fiber is easily soluble.
Nutritional ingredients: SOY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE (SPC) GMO 60% PB
In general, high levels of soy protein inclusion in shrimp feed, with the absence of fishmeal, are viable and result in satisfactory shrimp performance, as shown by research conducted by Davis and Sooking (2011), who used CPS at different levels and supplemented essential nutrients to meet shrimp needs. The results of the comparison between the test diets were very similar to those of the commercial reference diets. Other authors (PARIPATANANONT) et al., 2001; FORSTER et al., 2002) reported in their work that soy protein concentrate can replace 50 to 75% of fishmeal without any adverse effect on growth, feed intake, feed conversion or mortality of shrimp.
Among fish, research has been widely applied to different species of productive interest, such as rainbow trout, where soy protein concentrate supplemented with L-methionine could completely replace fishmeal in the diet without causing a negative effect on growth performance and nutrient utilization by the fish (KAUSHIK). et al., 1995). Refstie et al. (2001) found that Atlantic salmon fed diets in which CPS replaced 30% of high-quality fishmeal protein grew significantly better than those fed a fishmeal control diet.
Huang, Y. et al. (2017) evaluated the effects of partially replacing soybean meal with soy protein concentrate (SPC) in diets for turbot fry. The results indicated that partial replacement improved growth, digestive enzyme activity, and intestinal morphology of the fish. In another study conducted by Lazzari et al. (2020), the effects of including different levels of soy protein concentrate in diets for Nile tilapia indicated that the inclusion of up to 401 TP3T of soy protein concentrate positively affected the growth and health of the fish.
In general, the absence of differences in final weight, growth, and survival demonstrated in research on fish and shrimp fed a diet based on fishmeal or a diet in which soy protein concentrate completely replaced fishmeal indicates the high nutritional value of CPS, which confirms that it can be used in feed formulations and that different inclusion levels provided numerically satisfactory results, making it an excellent alternative for the most diverse growth phases of animals.
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