DETERMINATION OF NUTRIENT DIGESTIBILITY AND AMINO ACID AVAILABILITY OF VARIOUS FEED INGREDIENTS FOR LABEO ROHITA

The apparent digestibility of crude protein, crude fat, nitrogen free extract, gross energy and availability of amino acids in eight feed ingredients were determined for Labeo rohita fingerlings using chromic oxide as inert marker. The feed ingredients were meat meal, blood meal, corn gluten 60%, cottonseed meal, soybean meal, corn gluten 30%, coconut cake and sunflower meal. The apparent protein digestibility was significantly higher (P<0.05) for corn gluten 60% (85.5%) and soybean meal (84.2%). The crude fat was better digested in cottonseed meal (94.4%) and blood meal (91.0%). The digestibility values for nitrogen free extract was significantly higher (P<0.05) in soybean meal (53.9%), corn gluten 60% (53.1%), cottonseed meal (51.9%), corn gluten 30% (50.8%) and coconut cake (52.9%). The gross energy was significantly better utilized in soybean meal (84.9%) and blood meal (83.7%). The availability values for cystine in soybean meal, corn gluten 60% were significantly higher, whereas the values of lysine in all test ingredients were not significantly different except coconut cake. The results of present study indicated that L. rohita may be able to utilize soybean meal and corn gluten 60% efficiently.