Review of Amino Acid Nutrition and Digestibility in Shrimp: A Step Forward Toward the Formulation of Cost-Effective Feeds

Abstract

Knowledge of nutrient digestibility coefficients for individual ingredients and the requirement of digestible nutrients for a defined production target, allows nutritionists to formulate diets that better match animals requirement. Significant information on the digestibility of nutrients, including amino acids from practical ingredients for pacific whiteleg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei), has been produced during the last years, allowing nutritionists to develop compound feeds that rely less and less on costly protein sources such as fish meal (FM). Fish meal has often been used as the protein source in commercial shrimp feed because of its excellent sources of nutrients, e.g., balanced amino acid profiles, essential fatty acids, and mineral content. However, in order to reduce feed cost, finding alternative protein sources to replace costly proteins such as FM is another major challenge facing nutritionists. Numerous research studies have demonstrated that substitution of FM with alternative protein sources in shrimp diets results in similar growth, survival, and feed conversion ratios, as long as nutrient composition, including amino acid profile, are balanced to cover animal requirements. We propose to review available data on amino acid recommendations and digestibility for whiteleg shrimp that will help making the process of least-cost formulation for shrimp more cost-effective.