USE OF DIFFERENT CULTIVETES OF CRUDE SOYBEAN AS FEED TO PACU (PIARACTUS MESOPOTAMICUS): EVALUATION OF PRODUCTION PERFORMANCE AND FISH METABOLISM

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of utilization of six cultivetes of soybean (Glycine max L. Merril): BR-28, BR-35, EMBRAPA-33, EMGOPA-308, IAC-8 and IAS-5, in integral substitution of the commercial soybean meal in peIleted, isocaloric (4,450 kcal/kg) and isonitrogenous (26% protein) fed to juveniles of pacu, Piaractus mesopotamicus (Holmberg, 1887), for 60 days. In order to study the productive performance (weight gain, consumption, feed conversion, growth rate and protein efficiency rate), fish were collected after 2, 16 and 60 days, to estimate the conduct metabolism by means of analysis of hematocrit, glucose level, relation between liver and body. The results reveal that the presence of trypsin inhibitors and lecithin in grain of crude soybean did not constitute a limiting factor to fish growth during the period, what was confirmed by the results of physiological analysis.