Evaluation of sacha inchi meal as a novel alternative plant protein ingredient for red hybrid tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus×O. mossambicus): Growth performance, feed utilization, blood biochemistry, and histological changes

Abstract A 10-week feeding trial was conducted to examine the effect of dietary sacha inchi meal (SIM) as a soybean meal (SBM) replacer on growth performance, feed utilization, whole-body fatty acid composition, blood biochemistry, and histological changes in red hybrid tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus × O. mossambicus. Five isonitrogenous and isolipidic diets were formulated with 0 (control diet), 110, 220, 320, and 420 g/kg replacement of SBM with SIM (referred to as SIM0‒420). Each diet was randomly assigned to one of five fish groups in a 100 L indoor tank (n = 15 each, average initial weight 9.36 ± 0.02 g) with four replicates. During the last 2 weeks of the feeding trial, 5 g/kg chromic oxide (Cr2O3) was added to the diet to determine the apparent digestibility coefficient (ADC). The results showed that SIM inclusion significantly increased growth performance, feed utilization, and ADC of dry matter in a quadratic manner with the highest final weight observed in the SIM110 group. Survival rates were not significantly affected by SIM inclusion levels (P > 0.05). The amount of n-3 fatty acids in the whole-body fish, particularly that of C18:3n-3, was linearly and quadratically increased (P