Protein-sparing effect of dietary lipid: Changes in growth, nutrient utilization, digestion and IGF-I and IGFBP-I expression of Genetically Improved Farmed Tilapia (GIFT), reared in Inland Ground Saline Water

Abstract Protein-sparing by lipid helps in conserving protein exclusively for body maintenance with minimal inevitable protein breakage. It will subsequently reduce feed cost and nitrogenous pollutants in the habitat. In this context, an experiment of 60 days period was conducted to study the protein-sparing effect of lipid in the diet of Genetically Improved Farmed Tilapia (GIFT) (Oreochromis niloticus L) fingerlings reared in inland ground saline water (IGSW) 10 g L-1 salinity. The experiment followed 4 × 2 factorial design with eight purified diets of four crude protein (CP) levels (30, 35, 40 and 45%), each with two lipid levels (6 and 10%). GIFT fingerlings of uniform size (3.00 ± 0.01 g) were acclimatized and distributed into eight treatment groups in triplicates corresponding to each of the prepared diets and fed to satiation three times daily. The results showed significantly (p