Feed Formulation Using Linear Programming for Fry of Catfish, Milkfish, Tilapia, Asian Sea Bass, and Grouper in India

摘要

Nutritional profiles of 25 feed ingredients available in India were selected and compiled. Their costs were ascertained from Cochin (SW), Tuticorin (SE), and Bhubaneswar (NW), where fish/shrimp farming is traditionally practiced. Least-cost feed formulations (using the linprog toolbox in Matlab software) were attempted for catfish, milkfish, tilapia, and grouper fry specifying levels of four critical limits: Ca/P ratio, digestible energy (DE), 10 amino acid levels (where data was available), and 10 ingredients, totaling 26 constraining limits to the model. Feeds formulated for catfish fry cost US$0.066 kg-1 at Bhubaneswar, US$0.117 kg-1 at Tuticorin, and US$0.153 kg-1 at Cochin, with poultry by-product meal and hydrolyzed feather meal as the major ingredients; limiting amino acids in these feeds were methionine and phenylalanine. Feeds formulated for milkfish fry cost US$0.110 kg-1 at Cochin, US$0.108 kg-1 at Tuticorin, and US$0.072 kg-1 at Bhubaneswar; the limiting amino acids in this case were histidine and threonine. The cost of feeds for tilapia fry was US$0.207 kg-1 at Cochin, US$0.369 kg-1 at Tuticorin, and US$ 0.114 kg-1 at Bhubaneswar; the limiting amino acid was methionine. Feed formulae for fry of Asian sea bass had an LP solution containing only five ingredients for all three places. The feed formula was the same for Cochin and Bhubaneswar market prices, and the total cost of ingredients was US$0.274 kg-1 and US$0.142 kg-1, respectively. At Tuticorin market prices, the feed formula cost was US$0.397 kg-1. The feed formulae for grouper fry at Bhubaneswar and Tuticorin market prices had the same three ingredients costing US$0.114 kg-1 and US$0.321 kg-1, respectively, whereas feed formula for Cochin market price consisted of four ingredients costing US$0.280 kg-1.