TIME BASED EFFECTS OF TOASTING ON THE NUTRITIVE VALUE OF Canavalia ensiformis IN THE DIETS OF Clarias gariepinus FINGERLINGS

Abstract

Five isonitrogenous diets of 35% crude protein were formulated using raw and jack bean seeds toasted at 135oC for
10, 20, 30, and 40 minutes. Two hundred samples of Clarias gariepinus with average weight of 0.78g were allotted into
net harpers in groups of 20 fish per treatment in a completely randomized experimental design. The data obtained were
subjected to One Way Analysis of Variance at P<0.05 and using SPSS 17.0. Fish fed diet containing jack bean seed
meal, toasted for 40 minutes (DT5), showed the best results in terms of mean weight gain (2.46±0.01), specific growth
rate (2.49±0.03), protein efficiency ratio (0.067±0.001) and survival rate (100.00±0.50) while fish fed diet containing
raw jack bean seed meal (DT1) had the least values in terms of growth performance and survival rate. The least food
conversion ratio was recorded for fish fed DT5 (2.46±0.34a). There was significant differences in the growth parameters
and carcass proximate composition between fish fed the control diet and the other experimental diets (P<0.05). The study showed that toasting jack beans for about 40 minutes has the ability to reduce its anti-nutritional factors and improve its nutritive value for inclusion in the diets of Clarias gariepinus fingerlings.