USING PORCINE MEAT AND BONE MEAL IN CATFISH FEEDS

What is it about?

Porcine meat and bone meal (PMBM) is the rendered product from the pork processing industry and is a widely available animal protein source used in animal feeds in the USA. We have shown about 10% PMBM could be used in the diets for an entire growing season without marked impacts on growth, processing yield, or body composition of pond-raised hybrid catfish. Higher PMBM levels up to 25% may be used for short-term feeding when its price is favorable compared with soybean meal. However, cautions should be taken when using high levels of PMBM during the later part of the growth cycle because of the negative effects on processing yield and fillet fat levels.

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Why is it important?

Although porcine meat and bone meal (PMBM) is generally more expensive than soybean meal, sometime it is priced similarly or even lower than soybean meal. Our finding shows when prices are favorable, PMBM can be used at levels up to 25% for short-term and 10% for long-term feeding to replace part of the soybean meal in catfish feeds.