Aquaculture and shrimp farming in Brazil have gained prominence due to their high production potential, driven primarily by the continent’s abundant water resources and favorable conditions for farming. However, we are in an era where animal feed accounts for approximately 80% of total production costs, with protein being the most expensive component and the key nutrient necessary for the maintenance and growth of fish and shrimp. Insufficient protein intake can lead to reduced growth and survival rates.
The inclusion of protein in fish and shrimp feeds greatly depends on the growth stage, size, dietary protein quality (essential amino acid profiles and digestibility), availability of alternative food sources in the environment, environmental parameters, and farming management practices. Generally, commercial shrimp feeds contain 30% to 50% crude protein, primarily sourced from animal proteins such as fish meal, shrimp meal, and squid meal. While these ingredients offer excellent nutritional value and palatability, they are costly and not always readily available in the market. Therefore, the search for alternative protein sources in feeds has become an essential strategy in the industry.
Soy Protein Concentrate (SPC) has emerged as an excellent source for the nutrition of fish and shrimp. It contains between 57% and 60% crude protein on a dry matter basis, comparable to levels found in fish meals, making it ideal for formulating feeds that require high protein content. Additionally, its amino acid profile is well-balanced, with high digestibility and good palatability. Large-scale production ensures a stable supply, establishing it as a sustainable alternative to marine animal protein.
The production process of SPC involves removing oil and the non-protein water-soluble fraction through washing with ethanol or hexane, effectively extracting non-digestible sugars. The use of alcoholic solutions helps eliminate and denature anti-nutritional factors, phytohormones, and residual lipids, providing significant advantages over conventional soybean meal. It offers high amino acid bioavailability, and the fiber is easily soluble.
In general, high inclusion levels of soybean protein in shrimp diets, without fish meal, are viable and lead to satisfactory shrimp performance. Research conducted by Davis and Sooking (2011) demonstrated that SPC used at varying levels, supplemented with essential nutrients, met the shrimp’s needs. The results showed that the performance among the test diets was very similar to that of commercial reference diets. Other studies (PARIPATANANONT et al., 2001; FORSTER et al., 2002) reported that soy protein concentrate can replace 50% to 75% of fish meal without any adverse effects on growth, feed consumption, feed conversion, or shrimp mortality.
Research has been extensively conducted on various economically important fish species, such as rainbow trout, where soy protein concentrate supplemented with L-methionine could completely replace fish meal in the diet without negatively impacting growth performance or nutrient utilization (KAUSHIK et al., 1995). Refstie et al. (2001) found that Atlantic salmon fed diets with SPC substituting 30% of high-quality fish meal protein grew significantly better than those on a control diet based solely on fish meal.
Huang et al. (2017) evaluated the effects of partially replacing soybean meal with SPC in diets for turbot fry. The results indicated that this partial replacement improved growth, digestive enzyme activity, and intestinal morphology in the fish. Another study by Lazzari et al. (2020) demonstrated that including different levels of soy protein concentrate in Nile tilapia diets showed positive effects on fish growth and health, even with up to 40% inclusion.
Overall, the absence of differences in final weight, growth, and survival rates observed in studies comparing fish and shrimp fed diets based on fish meal versus those where soy protein concentrate completely replaced fish meal highlights the high nutritional value of SPC. This confirms its potential use in feed formulations, with varying levels of inclusion yielding numerically satisfactory results, making it an excellent alternative across different growth stages of the animals.
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