Partial Replacement of Fishmeal with Hazelnut Meal in Diets for Juvenile Gilthead Sea bream (Sparus aurata)

Abstract

Hazelnut meal was evaluated as an alternative protein source to fishmeal in diets of gilthead sea bream with an initial weight of 35.08±0.29 g. Incorporation levels of hazelnut meal were 0% (con- trol), 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40%. Each diet was tested in triplicate for ten weeks. There were no significant differences between the experimental diets and the control in final body weight, weight gain, specific growth rate, or feed and protein efficiency ratios. In addition, the level of hazelnut meal did not significantly affect the whole body composition of the sea bream. In con- clusion, up to 40% hazelnut meal could be included in diets for gilthead sea bream juveniles with- out adverse effects on growth rate or body composition.