Dietary amino acid requirements of pebbly fish, Alestes baremoze (Joannis, 1835) based on whole body amino acid composition

Abstract

Alestes baremoze is a valuable food fish with a wide geographical distribution in East, North and West Africa. Currently, the nutritional requirements of A. baremoze have not yet been determined, which hinders attempts towards developing appropriate feed formulations for its culture. This study was thus conducted to estimate essential amino acid (EAA) requirements of A. baremoze using the A/E ratio method, as a guide in formulating its diet. Fish samples used in the study were categorised into four classes according to their fork lengths (1–12 cm; 13–24 cm; 25–36 cm and 37–48 cm), with each class consisting of 10 fish. Results from the amino acid composition analysis revealed significant difference (P 0.05) within the four classes. The EAA requirement profiles for A. baremoze were found to be similar to those observed in other omnivorous fish species. Considering the importance of A. baremoze as a potential species for freshwater aquaculture, the present data provides guidance to the development of test diets with appropriate amino acid inclusions until dose response treatments are carried out. Keywords: A/E ratios, Alestes baremoze, Amino acid composition, Dietary requirements