Low-Phytic Acid Soybean Meal: Enhancement of Aquaculture Production, Improvement of Aquaculture Economics, and Protection of Our Natural Resources.

Soybean meal has become an increasingly important and popular feed stuff for a number of domesticated agricultural and aquacultural animals due to its high protein content and relatively low cost. However, monogastric animals such as pigs, poultry, fish, and shrimp cannot digest the phytic acid and phytate which constitutes 75% of the phosphorus in soybean seeds. This can lead to negative environmental effects as phytic acid/phytate can be digested by natural phytase activity in water bodies creating a high level of inorganic phosphorus in those environments. To counteract this, novel genetic sources of a low phytic acid trait in soybeans have been developed. The purpose of this project is to examine the production and environmental benefits of low phytic acid soybean meal in shrimp. Populations of pacific white shrimp will be cultivated in temperature controlled and filtered aquariums and fed diets based on either low or normal phytic acid soybean meal. Production measurements including survival and growth rate as well as several water quality characteristics will be regularly monitored. The results will be analyzed using a simple ANOVA. We expect that the feed conversion ratio (growth/quantity of feed) and water quality will both be greater in the low phytic acid groups.