Hybrid Tambacu Nutrition in the Tocantina Region of Maranhão, Brazil

Research in ingredient increments of hybrid fish feed has become common. Such research is geared toward a variety of incredibly important points of focus in the face of informational deficiency in tambacu nutrition. The alternatives have the objective of creating a link between the natural Amazonian products aiming at immune nutrition allied to high zootechnical performance. These alternatives are the application of diets with increased soluble and insoluble fiber. The results of Braga et al. [1], for example, has shown that the cellulose feed increments in small doses (20g kg-1) is favorable for weight gain, feed intake/day and protein efficiency ratio.

On the other hand, small-dose increases of cellulose, reduced the apparent feed conversion due the obvious, inability of the fish to digest the fiber. It is quite true that the need of fiber varies from species to species of fish and that, sometimes such an increase does not lead to the increase in the zootechnical characteristics of animals. Nevertheless, we have seen the scientific community investigate research to find the most economically viable nutritional alternatives and to make fish farming a more attractive activity for the investor and more accessible to the consumer and there are still researchers looking for sustainable nutritional sources, especially those that adapt to regional foods, to the detriment of traditional balanced feed.

This makes the activity of fish farming compete with others such as bovine, swine and poultry farming. Even so, the use of alternative ingredients in feed is an important tool that can reduce the costs and the price of the product and increase the foreign exchange, through production in scale. Ingredients once rejected by industry, harvested or simply being wasted amidst local vegetation can be harnessed as food for hybrids. In this dimension, researchers at the Casa Familiar Rural de Coquelândia (CFR), the Postgraduate Diploma in Animal Science from the State University of Maranhão program (UEMA) and the State University of Tocantina Maranhão Region (UEMASUL) have developed strategies using the seed flour of the Hevea brasiliensis as an immune nutrition source. All kinds of scientific advancement and its application to the real world is valid, if there is a good relationship between the economically viable, socially just and healthy food for both animals and humans.

1. Braga LGT, Azevedo RV, Cipriano FS, Lima KS, Magalhães Junior, et al. (2014) Inclusão de celulose em rações para juvenis de tambacu. Revista Brasileira de Saúde e Produção Animal 15(4): 947-956.