The response of catfish fed brewer’s spent grain (BSG) based diets was evaluated in the diet of Clarias gariepinus using growth performance, nutrient utilization and apparent digestibility coefficient as indices. Seven iso-nitrogenous diets were formulated with BSG replacing 0,10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 100% of corn in the diets. A relatively good growth performance and nutrient utilization by Clarias gariepinus fed the test diets were observed. However, the results showed significant difference (p<0.05) in weight gain, SGR, FCR and RGR between treatments, with 0%BSG (control) performing best. There was significant (p<0.05) reduction in apparent digestibility of nutrients with increasing levels of BSG meal in the test diets. The apparent digestibility coefficient for organic matter, protein, lipid, fiber and NFE of the control diet (0% BSG) were highest when compared to the rest of the test diets. However, the digestibility values for protein and lipid in diet A (0% BSG) and diet B (10% BSG) were statistically comparable.
Keywords: Apparent digestibility, Brewer’s spent grain, Growth response, Nutrient utilization and C. gariepinus.
