Converting agricultural and fisheries waste into high-value products: Utilization of pea meal and shrimp protein hydrolysate as feed components for Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)

Abstract

This study aims to characterize pea meal and shrimp protein hydrolysate as alternative protein ingredients, replacing soybean meal (SBM) in tilapia feed. The presence of protease inhibitors and the in vitro digestion were evaluated for both raw and extruded pea meals, while the characteristics of shrimp protein hydrolysate were also studied. The nutritional quality of alternative ingredients was assessed to formulate a diet that meets tilapia juveniles’ requirements, and its preliminary effects on growth were evaluated. Extrusion significantly reduced the inhibitory effect of pea meal on tilapia proteases (from 5.4 to 1.9%). In vitro, protein digestion of extruded pea meal (7.8±1.35%) did not differ from the control treatment with fish meal (11.8±1.94%). Additionally, shrimp protein hydrolysate presented 41.6±2.91% of DPPH radical scavenging activity. Tilapia fed a diet including 25% extruded pea meal and 10% shrimp protein hydrolysate, replacing soybean meal, presented comparable growth indicators to those exposed to the control diet. All the results in this study demonstrate that it is possible to include these ingredients derived from industrial waste in tilapia diets, improving the quality of the feed without affecting its performance.