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Chlorella vulgaris – Opportunities to Replace Fish Meal in Fish-Feed towards Nutrition
Journal
Chlorella and its Health Benefits
Date Issued
2022-01-01
Author(s)
Parashar, Anand
Shastri, Yogendra
Sahu, Narottam Prasad
Shah, Narendra
Abstract
Fish consumption has increased across the globe in recent times due to increased awareness about a healthy and balanced diet. With the increasing demand for fish and other aquaculture products, the need for nutritionally balanced fish feed is also increasing to support the increased fish production from aquaculture. In general, feed cost represents 50-60% of the recurring cost of aqua-farm, with protein being the most expensive dietary component. Among the commonly used feed ingredients, fish meal is considered to be a major and important source of protein. But all the researchers are looking for the ideal replacers of this scarce and costly commodity for sustainable aquaculture production. In order to make the fish feed affordable, a need to find a suitable protein substitute is evolving world-over. Exploring the alternate protein source that can be supplanted through water-body-based biomass like microalgae is explored for future aquaculture. Chlorella vulgaris, a prominent microalga, can be considered as a potential replacer for the fish meal. Chlorella vulgaris biomass is a rich source of protein (> 50%) and other nutritionally important components such as pigments, omega-3 fatty acids, triglycerides, vitamins, and minerals. Based on a thorough literature review and analysis, this chapter reports the possibility and associated challenges of exploring Chlorella vulgaris as a candidate to replace a fish meal as a source of proteins.
Subjects