Proximate nutrient composition and cost of the selected potential fish feed ingredients in Lake Victoria basin, Uganda

Proximate analysis of ingredients provides reference database of the nutritional composition of the locally available ingredients that can be used in fish feed formulation. Proximate nutrient analysis was performed on seven locally mobilized ingredients from Uganda. The ingredients were analyzed for Moisture, Ash, Crude fat, Crude protein, Gross energy contents and matter basis using standard methods. Moisture content ranged from 8.05% in fish meal to 11.28% in chicken offal, ash content ranged from 4.21% in blood meal to 12.57% in fish meal, crude fat ranged from 1.44% in cattle blood meal to 7.66% in fish meal, crude protein ranged from 56.53% in chicken offal to 70.09% in blood meal while Gross energy ranged from 3673 Kcal/kg in fish meal to 4601 kcal/kg in chicken offal. The cost per kilogram protein ranged from Uganda shillings (Ugshs) 6.19 in chicken offal to Ugshs 7.1 in blood meal. The cost per kilogram energy varied from Ugshs 0.76 in chicken offal to Ugshs 1.38 in blood meal. In plant based ingredients, moisture content ranged from 5.44% in sun flower meal to 13.36% in bean seed meal, ash content ranged from 6.61% in soya bean meal to 10.39% in sun flower meal, crude fat ranged from 1.22% in bean seed meal to 16.37% in sun flower meal, crude protein ranged from 22.15% in cotton seed cake to 39.28% in soya bean meal whereas gross energy ranged from 2438.33 Kcal/kg in sun flower meal to 5025.00 Kcal/kg in cotton seed cake. The cost per kilogram protein ranged from Ugshs 4.33 in sun flower meal to 10.19 in bean seed meal and also the cost per energy ranged from Ugshs 0.22 in cotton seed cake to Ugshs 0.66 in bean seed meal. The results demonstrate that low cost per kilogram protein of the chicken offals make them better substitutes for fish meal and cattle blood meals that are not readily available and thus expensive fish meal. Similarly, the low cost per kilogram protein of sun flower and soya bean meal make them cost effective ingredients to use in feed formulation.