| Partial or total replacement of fish meal by a mixture of plant protein (PP) sources (corn gluten, wheat gluten, extruded peas, rapeseed meal and sweet white lupin) balanced with indispensable amino acids was examined in juvenile gilthead sea bream over the course of a 6-month growth trial. A diet with fish meal (FM) as the sole protein source was compared to diets with 50%, 75% and 100% of replacement (PP50, PP75, and PP100). The possible influence of diets on growth performance, plasma metabolites, gut integrity, liver structure, anti-oxidant and immune status was evaluated. Final body weight was progressively decreased with PP inclusion, but in PP50 and PP75-fed fish, feed efficiency (FE) was significantly improved and specific growth rates remained... |
