Hydrolysed Feather Meal Inclusion in Low Fishmeal Diets for Whiteleg Shrimp (Penaeus vannamei)
Francesco Bordignon, Luiza Coutinho Costa, Cecília de Souza Valente, Marlise Mauerwerk, Luisa Helena Cazarolli, Caio Henrique do Nascimento Ferreira, Wilson Rogério Boscolo, Eduardo Luis Cupertino Ballester

TL;DR
This study shows that hydrolysed feather meal can be added up to 5% in shrimp feed without harming growth or health, offering a sustainable protein alternative.
Contribution
The study demonstrates the safe inclusion of up to 5% hydrolysed feather meal in low-fishmeal diets for whiteleg shrimp.
Findings
Growth performance and feed conversion ratio were unaffected by hydrolysed feather meal inclusion.
Digestive enzymes like trypsin and chymotrypsin showed mild increases at low inclusion levels.
Muscle composition remained stable, with only a modest increase in ether extract.
Abstract
The global transition toward low‐fishmeal formulations has intensified the search for sustainable and digestible protein alternatives in shrimp aquaculture. Enzymatically hydrolysed feather meal (HFM) represents a promising high‐protein ingredient with enhanced digestibility and bioactive potential. This study evaluated the effects of graded HFM inclusion (0%–5%) on growth performance, digestive enzyme activity, antioxidant status, and muscle composition of Penaeus vannamei juveniles. Five isonitrogenous (40.2 ± 1.9% crude protein) and isolipidic (12.3 ± 1.4% crude lipids) diets were formulated with 0%, 1.25%, 2.5%, 3.75%, and 5.0% HFM, replacing part of the soybean meal while maintaining a constant fishmeal inclusion (6%). A total of 100 shrimp (initial weight 1.2 ± 0.1 g; initial length 4.3 ± 0.3 cm) were randomly distributed into 20 tanks (4 tanks per diet; 20 shrimp per diet) and…
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Taxonomy
TopicsAquaculture Nutrition and Growth · Invertebrate Immune Response Mechanisms · Protein Hydrolysis and Bioactive Peptides
