Growth, feed efficiency and slaughter quality of salmon, Salmo salar L., given feeds with different ratios of carbohydrate and protein

Abstract

The effects of using increasing levels of carbohydrate to replace protein in diets for Atlantic salmon were studied in a long-term, semicommercial-scale experiment in sea cages, using wheat and corn starch as carbohydrate sources. The fish were fed extruded diets containing 24 g and 602 g kg⁻¹, 98 g and 521 g kg⁻¹, 165 g and 454 g kg⁻¹, 230 g and 384 g kg⁻¹ of carbohydrate and protein, respectively. The contents of lipid were kept constant at 280 g kg⁻¹. The experiment lasted for 9 months until the fish had reached about 4 kg. All groups showed good growth in the experimental period. Feed efficiency decreased and feed intake increased linearly with increased level of carbohydrate in the diet. Digestibility of dry matter and energy were seriously decreased with increased carbohydrate level in the diets. This was mainly due to decreased digestibility of carbohydrate, but also to decreased digestibility of lipid. The digestibility of protein or amino acids was not affected by diet. Higher levels of carbohydrate resulted in increased storage of energy as lipid in fillet and abdominal fat. Red coloration showed an optimum at 98 g kg⁻¹ carbohydrate in the diets. No differences in maturation were found between diets. Overall, based on feed efficiency, growth and slaughter quality, the optimum level of carbohydrate in the diet for Atlantic salmon in sea water is found to be approximately 100 g kg⁻¹ dry matter.