Growth Performance of the African Catfish, Clarias gariepinus (Burchell), Fed Varying Inclusion Levels of Castor Seed (Ricinus communis L.)

Abstract

Research into the utilization of unconventional feedstuffs are gaining priority today due to the extent at which protein feed ingredients are more expensive than the other feedstuffs [4,5]. This effort by the fish nutritionists had been yielding encouraging result in ameliorating the aforementioned challenge being faced by the fish farmers and consumers across the globe [6]. Nonetheless, the satisfaction limit has not been attained; hence further exploration of the environment by the fish nutritionists is necessary. The castor oil plant, R. communis belongs to Euphorbiaceae family and is an annual and perennial plant found in all the tropical and semi-tropical regions of the world such as Southern Mediterranean Basin, Eastern Africa and India. It is a fast-growing, suckering perennial shrub which can reach the size of a small tree, around 12 metres or 39 feet [7,8]. Castor oil seeds (R. communis L.) have crude protein content that is above 20% [7,9,10]. Nsa et al. [11] reported 30.82% for crude protein, 11.42% crude fibre, 20.72% ether extract, 5.54% ash and 31.16% nitrogen free extract. Ishiwu et al. [12] also reported crude protein 23.00%, crude fibre 6.85%, carbohydrate 27.50%, fat 22.67%, moisture 17% and ash 2.98%. The seeds are available during the fruiting season all over the places in Nigeria but the seeds are mostly wasted and investigation on its inclusion in fish diet is scanty. These factors qualify it to serve as protein source in fish feeds. However, a major limitation of the seeds in fish diets is the presence of ricin, which is a toxic antinutritional factor. C. gariepinus is found nearly in all fresh water bodies in Nigeria and other tropical countries across the globe; it is hardy, disease-resistant and a good converter of feeds [13,14], hence its choice for this investigation.

IESFAC Proceedings 2023

“…The flesh quality was also significantly improved in terms of higher crude protein (0.24-5.65%↑), lipid (0.60-4.01%↑) and ash (0.47-3.30%↑) in T4 than other treatments (Table 2). The findings of the present study are similar to the previous reported findings in African catfish fingerlings (Agboola et al, 2019). Overall, the findings of the study revealed that dietary replacement of fish meal by DCC upto 20% level may be…”