The utilization of soybean products in tilapia feed - a review.

Tilapia is one of the most important groups of fish for aquaculture with an annual production exceeds two million metric tons. They have been cultured for quite a long time ago. However, their aquaculture production has been developed remarkably during the last few decades due to the increased level of intensification and cultured area. In the past, fish meal was used as a main protein source in tilapia feed. Due to the escalating price and unstable supply of this ingredient, many studies have been conducted to replace fish meal by the less expensive plant and animal protein sources. Among these alternative protein sources, soybean meal appears to be an excellent substitution and its utilization in tilapia feed has been increased at a past rate recently. In order to effectively use soybean meal to replace fish meal and other protein sources, the nutrient requirement of tilapia, especially protein and amino acid should be known. These requirements as well as studies related to the replacement of soybean meal for fish meal and future research direction have been reviewed in this paper.