New Advances in Red Drum Diets

A study conducted dietary interventions involving vitamin B12, folate, and methionine for juvenile red drums, yielding significant findings pertinent to their nutrition.

The red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) is a species found in Ecuador, Mexico, and parts of the United States of America (Texas, Florida). Its controlled production in aquaculture began in the 1970s in the southern United States.

In the study titled “Assessment of a hepatic indicator for nutritional imbalance in young red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) fed diets primarily consisting of 60% soybean meal using NMR-based metabolomics,” the research team, spearheaded by Fabio Casu, sought to:

“investigate a potential biomarker for nutritional imbalance, FIGLU, by examining targeted mitigation strategies aimed at decreasing FIGLU levels in the livers of juvenile red drums fed diets high in soybean meal (60% SBM).”

To achieve this, an experimental trial was conducted on juvenile red drums over a period of twelve weeks. During this time, various soy-based diets enriched with folate, vitamin B12, and methionine were administered. Specifically, the following formulations were provided:

B12, Fol, and Met diets: Three pelleted diets without fish meal and with 60% soybean meal (SBM). Each one was supplemented with vitamin B12 (B12), folate (Fol), or methionine (Met) at concentrations higher than basal levels.
B12/Fol/Met Diet: A fourth diet based on SBM, formulated with a combination of B12, folate, and methionine.
FWS Diet: A fifth diet consisting of 60% SBM with methionine supplementation above basal levels. It was enriched with taurine, lysine, threonine, and minerals.

Additionally, the following control diets were implemented:

FM Diet: Fish meal-based.
SBM60 Diet: Basal diet not supplemented with 60% SBM.
N Diet: A “natural” diet comprising equal parts of fish (cigar minnows), squid, and shrimp, serving as a positive reference for growth performance.

Moreover, it is stated that the formulated feeds contained around “37% of total crude protein” and “14% of total crude lipids,” and they were energetically balanced.

It is emphasized that during the final week of the trial, the tissues from the liver and muscle of the fish were examined to assess the “diet-induced metabolic changes using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based metabolomics.”

The findings indicated that the FWS diet emerged as the optimal choice, displaying the highest performance levels:

“The FWS diet yielded tissue metabolite profiles more akin to those of fish fed the N diet. Based on our findings, the FWS diet represents a promising SBM-based alternative to fish meal for red drum,” highlighted the research team.

You can read about the complete study here

Source: Fabio Casu, Aaron M. Watson, Justin Yost, T. Gibson Gaylord, Daniel W. Bearden, Michael R. Denson. (2024). “Evaluation of a hepatic biomarker of nutritional imbalance in juvenile red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) fed 60% soybean meal-based diets using NMR-based metabolomics”, Animal Nutrition, Volume 16, 2024.