By Dr. Smruti Smita Mohapatra
Protein is an essential part of the diet of all organisms. Fish meal containing about 60 per cent protein is a good source of protein in the diet of the Japanese quail. However, due to ever increasing demand of a burgeoning population for fishery produce there is an overexploitation of fishery resources and availability of fish food for other animals in the ecosystem is increasingly scarce. There is a stiff competition for this resource between man, animals and birds. This has led to an increase in price of fish meal for poultry feeding. The high feed costs can be attributed to scarcity and high cost of feed ingredients, particularly animal protein supplements. The price of fish meal, the most common and guaranteed animal protein source has become increasingly prohibitive (Aneibo et al., 2008). Hence it has become imperative to replace fish meal with other animal protein supplements in the animal and bird feed in India. Use of insect larvae as a protein source is also an attractive possibility and a commercially viable alternative.
Magmeal is a core product consisting of dried defatted larvae that is ground into a high protein larvae meal. Maggot meal, popularly known as magmeal is a potential alternative for fish replacement in the diet of quails. It has high protein content. The high crude lipid acts as protein sparer. It has a dark and rich texture with a slightly nutty flavor. It is a rich source of animal protein whereas limiting essential amino acids – arginine and methionine, that can be fed to poultry, pigs and fish. Hence it is very crucial to incorporate magmeal as an alternative to reduce the feeding cost and to make its culture a viable and attractive venture. The inclusion of magmeal can also possibly lead to increase in poultry production and consequent economic affordability to the much needed animal protein. Thus, a commercially sustainable magmeal production is a befitting solution to the existing need for protein meal for poultry.
A closer study reveals that magmeal is found to be a rich source for both essential and non-essential amino acids. In Japanese quails dietary inclusion of magmeal replacing fishmeal at 100 per cent at six weeks of age enhances the tryptic and lipase activity. It improves the morphology of the small intestine in Japanese quails. It facilitates improved digestion due to high crude protein in magmeal. It has a positive impact on hematological parameters. It improves the hemoglobin concentration at three weeks and total erythrocyte count at both three weeks and six weeks. It improves the serum albumin and globulin in Japanese quails. It also influences their total cholesterol concentration. The significantly high increase in two major thyroid hormones – Tri-iodo-thyronine(T3) hormone at both three and six weeks and Thyroxine(T4) at three weeks of age improves the growth indices and metabolism with age due to the inclusion of magmeal. Magmeal improves the body weight, muscle mass and appetite. This may be attributable to the fact that neutral odour and nutty flavour of magmeal which also contributes to improving palatability and augments the nutritional impact in the quails. Magmeal does not have any negative effect the feed efficiency and livability in Japanese quails. Thus, it can be cost effective in large scale production. Culture of abattoir waste and fly larvae create sustainable animal feed in form of magmeal. Maggots can be cultured by the poultry farmers on a large scale. Magmeal can be prepared by incubating (60°C for 24 hours in hot air oven) followed by powdering the maggots. Thus magmeal aptly evolves as an economical animal protein source and a suitable replacement for fish meal in the diet of Japanese quails.
Magmeal also helps in solid waste management strategy. It acts as an alternative feed source for birds via conversion of abattoir and other plant wastes. It combats the menace of high fly population. It encourages a sustainable and cleaner environment. Alternatives to fish meal are now an international research priority. It is the focus of current poultry nutrition research. Fish meal, however, is a finite resource which cannot be produced in sufficient quantities but its rising cost is another cause of concern for the farmers and breeders. Thus the latest approach of the use of magmeal as an alternative source of animal protein in the diet of Japanese quails demonstrates that magmeal can establish itself to the physiological adaptability of quails. The economic evaluation of magmeal in terms of feed cost is mainly influenced by the inclusion level of magmeal in the diet. By considering the current labour, time and operational expenses involved in the production of magmeal, the cost of magmeal incorporated in the experimental diet is approximately Rs. 10 per kilogram. The feed cost (Rs/kg) gradually reduces as the inclusion level of magmeal is increased by replacing the fish meal. Accordingly the feed efficiency improves (significant reduction in the value of feed conversion ratio) when higher level of magmeal is incorporated. In Japanese quail production, feed cost and feed efficiency are the most contributing factors in the determination of production cost. The production cost is calculated as the cost to produce one kilogram of live Japanese quail at six weeks by incorporating various cost components such as the cost of day old Japanese quail chick (Rs. 6 per chick), cost of the feed and cost of medicine (Re 1 per kilogram live weight produced). As there is an improvement in the production performance parameters such as live body weight and feed efficiency, it brings down the cost and production while replacing fish meal with magmeal at varying proportions. Subsequently there is a huge reduction in the cost of production. Feed containing magmeal was found to be cheaper than the feed containing fishmeal for the Japanese quails. Thus it can be adopted by the poultry farmers and breeders as it is cost effective. It emerges as a definite and great option when compared to the traditional meat meal which is fed to the Japanese quails and other poultry species. It is a nutritive animal feed.
Dr. Smruti Smita Mohapatra
Ph.D. Scholar
Department of Veterinary Physiology
Faculty of Veterinary & Animal Sciences
WBUAFS
Kolkata, West Bengal- 700037, India
Email: simplysmruti@gmail.com
Source: This is an article from the thesis submitted by Dr. Smruti Smita Mohapatra of Madras Veterinary College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Veterinary Science in Veterinary Physiology to the Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Chennai in 2016.
