Alternative feed components to replace fishmeal and fish oil in carp feed

Some potential alternative ingredients to fish meal and fish oil replacement in carp feed were identified. Detailed information on the ingredients, i.e. alternative protein or lipid sources for carp, are compiled into an open access, online database. The feedstuff inventory coined as “ZeroFish CarpFeed” (acronym: fish meal fish oil free carp feed ingredients database) is an applied output of a national project funded by the Czech Ministry of Agriculture (Grant: MZe ČR Projekt NAZV QK1810296). The database is tailor-made for direct usage by carp feed formulators, especially by farm managers or for small scale feed manufacturers.

The alphabetically-arranged, filter-search enabled database is divided into 5 inventories: (a) ingredient ‘crude’ data, cross matched with carp specific limits; (b) ingredient ‘digestible’ data, derived from apparent digestibility coefficients (ADC) of common carp; (c) digestibility ranges for individual ingredients (ADCprotein≈ ADCamino acids; ADClipid≈ ADCfatty acids); (d) feed formulation files and guide, and; (e) model formulations that are balanced and least cost. In total, our database covers 34 alternative ingredients (excluding their variants) that can offer alternative to fish derivatives in carp feed, when used in combination. They are divided into 18 protein sources (both classic and modern), 9 ‘filler’ sources and 7 oil (lipid) sources. The ingredient data are visualized, and color coded for highlighting relative abundance (among other ingredients) and its goodness (whether optimum or deficient for carp) respectively.