Effects of fishmeal replacement with jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) seed meal on the growth performance, feed utilization, flesh quality, and haemolymph indexes of the freshwater prawn Macrobrachium rosenbergii

A feeding trial was performed to assess the effects of substituting fish meal with jackfruit seed meal (JS) on growth, feed utilization, flesh quality, and hemolymph indexes of juvenile Macrobrachium rosenbergii. Five experimental diets were formulated with JS meal (0, 25, 50, 75 & 100) to substitute fishmeal (FM) in five tanks with 30 prawns per tank for 60 days in triplicate. The final body weight, weight gain, specific growth rate, survival rate, and total amino acids of prawn were higher, as well as a lower feed conversion ratio and feed intake, when fed with JS25 and JS50 diets compared to the control. There was no difference in condition factor among the treatments. Total hemolymph count (THC) in the JS25, and hemolymph coagulation time (CT) of M. rosenbergii in the JS25 and the JS50 treatments were significantly (p < 0.05) improved compared to the other treatments. Therefore, the present study suggests that up to 50% replacement of fishmeal with JS meal in the diet could be an ideal inclusion level without adverse effect on growth, feed utilization, flesh quality, THC, and CT of M. rosenbergii.