Fish Feeds in Aquaponics and Beyond: A Novel Concept to Evaluate Protein Sources in Diets for Circular Multitrophic Food Production Systems

Christopher Shaw, Klaus Knopf and Werner Kloas
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Christopher Shaw: Department of Fish Biology, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Müggelseedamm 310, 12587 Berlin, Germany
Klaus Knopf: Department of Fish Biology, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Müggelseedamm 310, 12587 Berlin, Germany
Werner Kloas: Department of Fish Biology, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Müggelseedamm 310, 12587 Berlin, Germany

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 7, 1-30

Abstract: With the general objective of optimizing internal nutrient recycling, circular multitrophic food production systems, e.g., combining fish, plant, and insect larvae production, rely on the quality and composition of sustainable nutritional inputs. Therefore, differences in dissolved and solid nutrient excretion patterns produced by Nile tilapia ( Oreochromis niloticus ) reared in recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) with 5% daily water exchange and fed black soldier fly meal (BSFM), poultry by-product meal (PM), poultry blood meal (PBM) and fish meal (FM) as single protein sources were investigated to evaluate the potential for creating specific fish meal-free diets. Fish fed the FM and PM diet showed the significantly best ( p < 0.05) and among each other similar ( p > 0.05) growth performance (specific growth rate (SGR): 2.12 ± 0.04/2.05 ± 0.11; feed conversion ratio (FCR): 0.86 ± 0.03/0.92 ± 0.01), whereas the PBM diet caused significantly reduced performance (SGR: 1.30 ± 0.02; FCR: 1.79 ± 0.05) in comparison to the FM/PM diet as well as the BSF diet (SGR: 1.76 ± 0.07; FCR: 1.11 ± 0.05). The FM and PM diet resulted in a faster increase and significantly higher dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus levels, while the BSF diet caused faster accumulation and significantly elevated levels of dissolved potassium, magnesium, and copper. The PBM diet resulted in the feces with the significantly highest nutrient density (gross energy, crude protein, and amino acids) but overall much lower dissolved nutrient levels in the water. Results are discussed with regard to implications for developing circular multitrophic food production systems.

Keywords: aquaponics; circular multitrophic food production systems; circular bioeconomy; fish meal replacement; nutrient excretion; nutrient recycling; waste valorization (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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