Utilization of tuna waste silage as a novel pig feed ingredient

Abstract

Tunas are commercially important fishes, widely distributed throughout the tropical and temperate waters. During processing and development of various value added products from tuna, large quantity of solid waste is generated in the form of viscera, gills, dark muscle, head, bone and skin. In this study, waste generated from tuna processing was converted into a liquid protein source by ensilation and its performance as a novel protein source for pigs was evaluated. Feed was prepared by mixing rice bran and tuna waste silage in 7:3 ratio and drying at 60oC in an electrical drier for 12 h. The feed has crude protein 20%, crude fat 22%, ash content 8% and moisture content of 7%. The feed was found to be rich in essential dietary amino acids (lysine, tryptophan, threonine and methionine) and fatty acid (oleic and linoleic acid). Feeding trials on thirty six weaned large white Yorkshire piglets by incorporating tuna waste silage for a period of 104 days showed that this can be used as an efficient feed for pigs.