Does feeding frequency affect utilization of added amino acids in Nile tilapia?

Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) is one of the major farmed fish species, with main production in Asia, South and Central America that can tolerate a wide range of environmental stress and easily adapt with low quality of feed ingredients. The aims of the experiments were to determine effects of feeding frequency on utilization of protein and energy in Nile tilapia, to quantify differences in excretion of ammonia and ammonium in Nile tilapia fed the same daily ration, distributed over 2 and 4 meals a day. The aims were derived from a hypothesis that frequent feeding facilitates higher overlap in absorption of crystalline dietary amino acid supplement and protein-bound amino acids, since digestion of protein requires time and thereby may improve utilization of dietary protein. Significant differences were indicated for P