Replacing palm oil for soybean oil in tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus (L.), feed

Four isonitrogenous and isocaloric semi-purified feeds containing various levels of palm oil (0, 1.2 and 3%) as a replacement for soybean oil were fed to three replicate groups of tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus (L.). fingerlings, mean initial weight 5.5 g, in 45-1 aquaria for 5 weeks under controlled laboratory conditions. Weight gain, feed conversion ratio, protein efficiency ratio and the chemical composition of the fish bodies did not vary significantly (P > 0.05). These results indicate that palm oil could replace soybean oil in feeds for O. niloticus fingerlings without any negative effect on the fish growth or body composition under these conditions.