Effect of fermented and unfermented Mucuna bean seed, on growth performance of tilapia

Abstract

The effect of fermented and unfermented Mucuna (Mucuna pruriens utilis) seed on growth performance of the Nile Tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus (L.) Trewavas, was investigated in eight weeks feeding trial in concrete tanks. Three approximately isonitrogenous diets were fed to three sets of fingerlings of Oreochromis niloticus. Specific growth rate (SGR), average weight gain, (AWG), percentage weight gain (FWG), food conversion ratio (FCR) and protein efficiency ratio (PER) were not significantly different (P>0.05) from the control. However, crude protein, ash and nitrogen free extract of the carcass composition were significantly different (P>0.05). Fish weight ranged from L75+0.14 - 5.60+089, 2.13±0.43 - 5.67+1.46 and 1.45±0.12 -4.87±0.64 for Dl, D2 and D3 respectively. The average weight gains were 3.85g, 3.54g and 3.42g for Dl, D2 and D3 respectively. Average apparent food consumed is in the order D2 >D1 > D3. Fermented Mucuna seed diet (D2) has the highest food conversion ratio of 1.51 followed by the control diet 1.22 and 1.19 for D3. Diet 3 is the most cost effective of the three diets. D3 has the highest food efficiency (0.84) followed by Dl (0.82) and the least D2 (0.66). Results of this study appear to show that unfermented Mucuna diet can conveniently replace Soya bean based diet for feeding Oreochromis niloticus.

KEYWORDS: Mucuna bean, substitution, efficiency and cost effectiveness