Ingestion of a variety of non-animal-derived dietary protein sources results in diverse postprandial plasma amino acid responses which differ between young and older adults

Journal article

The swift growth of aquaculture has resulted in an urgent requirement for accessible and environmentally friendly diet supplies. Conventional diets, such as fish meal and fish oil, have adverse impacts on the ecosystem and are a factor in the decline of aquatic assets. In this circumstance, research into substitute nourishment components that might promote the expansion of the sector by mitigating environmental impact is imperative. Gammarids, a class of low-trophic organisms, stand out as an appealing choice among the contenders because of their capacity to transform low-digestible materials into beneficial nutrients and their intrinsic function in marine environments. This thesis explores the possibility of feeding gammarid species with low-value products like kelp, feathers, grass, and a mixture of grass and feathers. The study aimed to evaluate how these different feed types affect the specific growth rate (% SGR), survival rate, biomass change, and nutritional profile of gammarids. During a predetermined time (22 days), two gammarid species, Marinogammarus obtusatus and Marinogammarus finmarchicus, were fed kelp, grass, feathers, and a mixture of feathers and grass. According to the results, there was no substantial difference in the survival rate of gammarids fed different feeds. However, the type of feed had a significant effect on the specific growth rate (% SGR) of gammarids. The gammarids fed with kelp and the more digestible mixture of grass and feathers demonstrated a significantly higher growth rate (% SGR) than those fed only feathers or grass. The results showed that kelp and the mixture of feathers and grass could be advantageous feeds for gammarids. The chemical analysis of feed showed that kelp and grass had a higher water content, while feathers had a higher protein content. The mixture of feathers and grass had a low water content, but the protein content of the mixture was lower than the feathers and higher than the grass. Due to a shortage of samples only amino acid analysis of Marinogammarus species was carried out. The sum of amino acids gave the estimated protein content. The result of the analysis showed that the protein content of Marinogammarus species given feathers was highest, whereas species fed kelp had the least amount of protein. The protein content of the species fed grass was marginally greater than the mixture. This study highlights the financial and environmental advantages of using alternate diet materials, which advances appropriate diet strategies for aquaculture. These discoveries open new avenues for investigation into improving feed compositions and increasing the incorporation of gammarids in modern aquaculture, which will help to reduce dependency on conventional feed supplies and promote a sustainable future

Authors: van der Heijden, I; West, S; Monteyne, AJ; Finnigan, TJA; Abdelrahman, DR

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Journal: British Journal of Nutrition
• Volume: 131
• Issue: 9
• Pages: 1540-1553
• Publication date: 2024-01-15
• DOI: 10.1017/s0007114524000163
• EISSN: 1475-2662
• ISSN: 0007-1145
• Language: English
• Keywords: Food science; Dietary protein; Amino acid; Ingestion; Biochemistry; Endocrinology; Biology; Postprandial