Fsh feeding trials in Vietnam positive for DDGS
The U.S. Grains Council (USGC) have run feeding trials with Vietnamese catfish tra, common carp and red tilapia using distiller's dried grains with solubles (DDGS), a co-product of U.S. ethanol production.
"The ethanol co-product has shown to be economically feasible for animal feed especially in dairy and beef cattle, swine and poultry diets. However, very limited information was available for feeding DDGS to fish, despite the given benefits of the ingredient such as high protein content (28 percent) and a relatively cheaper cost," said Dr. Budi Tangendjaja, USGC consultant in Southeast Asia.
The results of using DDGS at a 15 percent inclusion rate in all three species concluded the co-product slightly improved the growth rate and reduced mortality, according to USGC. Feeding DDGS at a 15 percent inclusion ratio also improved feed conversion in catfish from 3.01 in the control diet to 1.95 in the DDGS diet. The feeding trials proved feeding DDGS to all three species did not negatively impact meat quality nor did it affect color of the fillet, which was a preconceived concern of end-users.
"There is an indication that feeding DDGS at a 15 percent inclusion ratio would improve feed utilization, enhance growth performance and decrease the cost of a feed formula," said Tangendjaja.
