Comparative Evaluation of Extruded and Moist Pellets for Development of High Efficiency Extruded Pellets in Olive Flounder Paralichthys olivaceus

This study was conducted to compare an experimental extruded pellet (EP) and raw fish-based moist pellet (MP) on growth performance, whole-body and dorsal muscle composition, and textural properties of dorsal muscle for olive flounder Paralichthys olivaceus. Four groups of 8,000 fish (initial mean weight 27.1±0.05 g) per concrete tank (10×10 m) were fed the experimental diets for 16 months. After the feeding trial, no significant differences were observed in final mean body weight, weight gain, specific growth rate, feed intake, survival, and condition factor between EP and MP groups. However, feed efficiency of fish fed the EP was significantly higher than that of fish fed the MP. Moisture content in the whole-body of fish fed the MP was significantly higher than that of fish fed the EP. Significantly higher contents of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) in whole-body and dorsal muscle were observed in fish fed the EP compared with fish fed the MP. Any notable differences in amino acid contents or textural properties of the dorsal muscle were not observed in fish fed either the EP or the MP. The results of this study indicated that the EP could be developed to replace MP for the market size of production in olive flounder without the adverse effects on growth performance. Formulation of the EP could be used as a practical feed for olive flounder.