Comparative Evaluation of Dried Cassava Fufu Meal as a Source of Dietary Energy Clarias gariepinus

Abstract

The potential of sun-drying cassava fufu as a method of processing cassava tuber to eliminate its HCN content and dusty nature, increase its shelf-life and hence improve its value as source of energy in the diets of C. gariepinus fingerlings was investigated. Cassava tubers were prepared in the traditional way into fufu and dried in the sun by flattening it in bits on polyethylene sheets. The dried cakes when milled came out as a cream-coloured meal devoid of HCN and remained unchanged in proximate composition, appearance, smell and texture for months in porous sacks. Feeding trials were conducted with C. gariepinus fingerlings in which dietary maize was replaced with the dried cassava fufu meal (DCFM) at the levels of 50 % and 100 %, respectively. Data collected were subjected to analysis of variance. There were no significant (P>0.05) differences in the body weight, specific growth rate, condition factor, feed intake, feed conversion ratio and protein efficiency ratio of the control and the 100 % substitution groups. At 50 % substitution level, bodyweight gain, feed intake, feed conversion ratio and protein efficiency ratio were significantly (P<0.05) reduced. It is suggested that DCFM can completely replace maize in the diets of C. gariepinus fingerlings without any deleterious effects.

Key Words: Cassava processing, cassava meal, catfish, fish feed, dietary energy