Esta tese enfocou a validação de um sistema de recirculação para estudos de digestibilidade de camarões marinhos e a determinação dos coeficientes de digestibilidade de ingredientes protéicos em diferentes níveis de inclusão para a elaboração de dietas para camarões marinhos. O sistema de recirculação compreendeu o projeto de um tanque para estudos de digestibilidade com camarões e entre os diferentes sistemas avaliados, o Guelph-L foi o mais eficiente porque combinou uma alta eficiência de remoção de sólidos com um melhor perfil de velocidade da água e menor distância percorrida pelas partículas de fezes ou alimento não consumido. Os ensaios de digestibilidade com os seis ingredientes protéicos: farinha de peixe (FPX), concentrado protéico de soja (CPS), farinha de vísceras de frango (FVI), glúten de milho (GLM), farinha de carne e ossos (FCO) e farinha de penas hidrolisadas (PEN) incluídos na dieta referência nos níveis de 10, 20 e 30% mostraram que a digestibilidade aparente dos ingredientes foi significativamente influenciada pelo seu nível de inclusão nas dietas teste e esta influência foi mais intensa nos ingredientes glúten de milho e farinha de vísceras de frango, que apresentaram maiores desbalanços de aminoácidos. Os ingredientes que apresentaram os maiores coeficientes de digestibilidade aparente para a matéria-seca, proteína bruta, energia bruta e disponibilidade de aminoácidos foram a FPX e o CPS, enquanto que os menores custos para a proteína e energia digestível foram a FCO, CPS e PEN. O crescimento, sobrevivência e conversão dos camarões alimentar foram significativamente influenciados pelo tipo de ingrediente teste nas dietas, mas não pelo nível de inclusão e apresentaram a seguinte ordem de crescimento em g semana-1: FPX > CPS > PEN > FVI > FCO > GLM. Os coeficientes de digestibilidade aparente das dietas descreveram melhor o crescimento semanal do que os coeficientes de digestibilidade dos ingredientes, apesar da fraca correlação. / This thesis focused on the validation of an aquaculture recirculation system (RAS) for shrimp digestibility studies and the determination of the digestibility coefficients of protein sources at different inclusion levels for shrimp feeds. The recirculation system for digestibility studies proved to be adequate for its purpose and shrimp growth rates was equal to or higher than those experienced in the farms. The recirculated system comprised the Project of a tank for shrimp digestibility studies with marine shrimp which permitted the output of high quality faecal samples in quantity, reliability in the shorter time as possible. Among the systems evaluated the Guelph-L was the most efficient as it combined a high solids removal efficiency with an reasonable water velocity profile and the shortest distance for the feces and feed particles from the tank bottom to the collection tube. The digestibility trials were conducted with six protein sources: fish meal (FPX), soy protein concentrate (CPS), poultry by product meal (FVI), corn gluten meal (GLM), meat and bone meal (FCO) and hydrolyzed feather meal (PEN) at the inclusion rates of 10, 20 and 30% showed that the apparent digestibility of the protein sources was significantly affected by their inclusion levels in the test diets and this effect was more intense for the protein sources corn gluten meal and poultry by product meal, that displayed the greatest amino acids imbalance. The ingredients that presented the highest coefficients for the apparent dry matter, protein and energy digestibility and amino acids availability was fish meal and soy protein concentrate and the lowest cost for the digestible protein and energy was meat and bone meal, soy protein concentrate and hydrolyzed feather meal. The growth rates, survival and economical feed conversion ratio was significantly affected by the ingredient type, contrary to the inclusion level, and presented the following growth rate in g week-1 order: FPX > CPS > PEN > FVI > FCO > GLM. The diet apparent digestibility coefficients described weekly growth rate better than ingredient apparent digestibility coefficients, despite the weak correlation.

Esta tese enfocou a validação de um sistema de recirculação para estudos de digestibilidade de camarões marinhos e a determinação dos coeficientes de digestibilidade de ingredientes protéicos em diferentes níveis de inclusão para a elaboração de dietas para camarões marinhos. O sistema de recirculação compreendeu o projeto de um tanque para estudos de digestibilidade com camarões e entre os diferentes sistemas avaliados, o Guelph-L foi o mais eficiente porque combinou uma alta eficiência de remoção de sólidos com um melhor perfil de velocidade da água e menor distância percorrida pelas partículas de fezes ou alimento não consumido. Os ensaios de digestibilidade com os seis ingredientes protéicos: farinha de peixe (FPX), concentrado protéico de soja (CPS), farinha de vísceras de frango (FVI), glúten de milho (GLM), farinha de carne e ossos (FCO) e farinha de penas hidrolisadas (PEN) incluídos na dieta referência nos níveis de 10, 20 e 30% mostraram que a digestibilidade aparente dos ingredientes foi significativamente influenciada pelo seu nível de inclusão nas dietas teste e esta influência foi mais intensa nos ingredientes glúten de milho e farinha de vísceras de frango, que apresentaram maiores desbalanços de aminoácidos. Os ingredientes que apresentaram os maiores coeficientes de digestibilidade aparente para a matéria-seca, proteína bruta, energia bruta e disponibilidade de aminoácidos foram a FPX e o CPS, enquanto que os menores custos para a proteína e energia digestível foram a FCO, CPS e PEN. O crescimento, sobrevivência e conversão dos camarões alimentar foram significativamente influenciados pelo tipo de ingrediente teste nas dietas, mas não pelo nível de inclusão e apresentaram a seguinte ordem de crescimento em g semana-1: FPX > CPS > PEN > FVI > FCO > GLM. Os coeficientes de digestibilidade aparente das dietas descreveram melhor o crescimento semanal do que os coeficientes de digestibilidade dos ingredientes, apesar da fraca correlação. / This thesis focused on the validation of an aquaculture recirculation system (RAS) for shrimp digestibility studies and the determination of the digestibility coefficients of protein sources at different inclusion levels for shrimp feeds. The recirculation system for digestibility studies proved to be adequate for its purpose and shrimp growth rates was equal to or higher than those experienced in the farms. The recirculated system comprised the Project of a tank for shrimp digestibility studies with marine shrimp which permitted the output of high quality faecal samples in quantity, reliability in the shorter time as possible. Among the systems evaluated the Guelph-L was the most efficient as it combined a high solids removal efficiency with an reasonable water velocity profile and the shortest distance for the feces and feed particles from the tank bottom to the collection tube. The digestibility trials were conducted with six protein sources: fish meal (FPX), soy protein concentrate (CPS), poultry by product meal (FVI), corn gluten meal (GLM), meat and bone meal (FCO) and hydrolyzed feather meal (PEN) at the inclusion rates of 10, 20 and 30% showed that the apparent digestibility of the protein sources was significantly affected by their inclusion levels in the test diets and this effect was more intense for the protein sources corn gluten meal and poultry by product meal, that displayed the greatest amino acids imbalance. The ingredients that presented the highest coefficients for the apparent dry matter, protein and energy digestibility and amino acids availability was fish meal and soy protein concentrate and the lowest cost for the digestible protein and energy was meat and bone meal, soy protein concentrate and hydrolyzed feather meal. The growth rates, survival and economical feed conversion ratio was significantly affected by the ingredient type, contrary to the inclusion level, and presented the following growth rate in g week-1 order: FPX > CPS > PEN > FVI > FCO > GLM. The diet apparent digestibility coefficients described weekly growth rate better than ingredient apparent digestibility coefficients, despite the weak correlation.

Durch die Nutzung des fischfutterbedingten Nährstoffeintrags für die kombinierte Produktion von Fischen und Pflanzen können Aquaponiksysteme eine nachhaltige Erweiterung von Kreislaufanlagen der Aquakultur (RAS) darstellen. Herkömmliche Aquakulturfutter zielen jedoch auf Fischproduktion mit geringer Umweltbelastung ab und sind somit nicht für die Aquaponik optimiert. Daher weist RAS-Wasser häufig Mängel im Profil gelöster anorganischer Pflanzennährstoffe auf. So war es Ziel dieser Arbeit, die Auswirkungen unterschiedlicher Proteinquellen auf die Nährstoffdynamik in RAS durch Fütterungsversuche mit Afrikanischem Raubwels und Nil-Tilapia zu untersuchen, bei denen Wachstum, gelöste anorganische Nährstoffkonzentrationen im RAS-Wasser und die Ausscheidung von Nährstoffen über den Kot verfolgt wurden. Der Fokus lag auf nachhaltigen alternativen Proteinquellen zu marinem Fischmehl und terrestrischen Pflanzenproteinen: Larvenmehl der Schwarzen Soldatenfliege (BSFM), Welsschlachtabfallmehl (CM), Geflügelschlachtabfallmehl (PM) und Geflügelblutmehl (PBM). Experimentalfutter, die phosphorreiches PM und CM enthielten, förderten erhöhte Ausscheidung von löslichem reaktivem Phosphor, erzeugten die besten gelösten N:P-Verhältnisse im RAS-Wasser verglichen mit einer Hydroponik-Nährlösung und ermöglichten in Kombination mit PBM besseres Wachstum beim Wels als ein vergleichbares kommerzielles Futter. In Futtern basierend auf einer einzigen Proteinquelle führte PM bei Wels und insbesondere bei Tilapia zu ähnlichem Wachstum verglichen mit marinem Fischmehl, wohingegen BSFM und PBM bei beiden Arten Wachstumsleistung beeinträchtigte. Meta-Analysen aller Versuche legen nahe, dass höherer Phosphor-, Kalium- und Magnesiumgehalt im Futter erhöhte Ausscheidung dieser Elemente in gelöster Form bedingt, was sie zu Zielnährstoffen in Aquaponikfuttern macht, während die Optimierung des Protein zu Energie-Verhältnisses im Futter die gelösten N:P- und N:K-Verhältnisse im RAS-Wasser verbessern kann. / By using the nutrient input from fish feeds for the combined production of fish and plants, aquaponic systems can be a sustainable extension of recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS). However, conventional aquaculture feeds are optimized for fish production and reduced environmental impact rather than aquaponics. Hence, RAS water is often characterized by deficiencies regarding its dissolved inorganic plant nutrient profile. Therefore, this thesis aimed to explore the effect of purposeful dietary protein choice on nutrient dynamics in RAS through four systematic feeding trials involving African catfish and Nile tilapia in which growth performance, dissolved inorganic nutrient concentrations in RAS water and solid fecal nutrient excretion were tracked. Focus was on sustainable alternative protein sources to marine fish meal and terrestrial plant proteins: black soldier fly larvae meal (BSFM), catfish by-product meal (CM), poultry by-product meal (PM) and poultry blood meal (PBM). Experimental diets including phosphorus-rich PM and CM supported increased excretion of soluble reactive phosphorus, produced the most favorable dissolved N:P ratios in RAS water when compared to a renowned hydroponic nutrient solution, and, combined with PBM, enabled better growth performance in African catfish than a comparable commercial diet. In single protein source diets, PM produced similar growth performance in African catfish and particularly Nile tilapia versus marine fish meal, whereas BSFM and PBM impaired growth performance in both species. Meta-analyses covering all trials suggest that higher dietary phosphorus, potassium and magnesium content leads to their increased excretion in dissolved form, making them target nutrients for aquaponic feed formulation, while the optimization of the dietary protein to energy ratio can further improve dissolved N:P and N:K ratios in RAS water.