WO2021206569A1

WO2021206569A1 - Fish diet for animals

Info

Publication number: WO2021206569A1
Application number: PCT/OM2020/050009
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ahmed AL-SOOTI; Wenresti GALLARDO; Michel CLAEREBOUDT
Original assignee: Sultan Qaboos University
Priority date: 2020-04-09
Filing date: 2020-09-27
Publication date: 2021-10-14

Abstract

A fish diet and a method of preparing the fish diet is provided. The method comprises grounding treated chicken feathers and blending the grounded chicken feathers to obtain a first meal. The method further comprises grounding air-dried algae and blending the grounded algae to obtain a second meal. Further, the method comprises mixing at least one of the first meal and the second meal with a fish meal to obtain the fish diet.

Description

FISH DIET FOR ANIMALS

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to a fish diet for animals and, more particularly, to a fish diet for aquatic animals.

BACKGROUND

Aquaculture is the fastest growing food-producing industry in the world. Feeding is one of the most critical aspects of aquaculture as feed determines the outcome of health and weight of aquatic animals. Further, feed costs often represent single highest operating expense for an aquaculture enterprise. One of the examples of the feed is a fish diet. The fish diet must be highly digestible and meet nutritional requirements of aquatic animals. Fish meal has been used as a primary ingredient in the fish diet. Fish meal is used in the fish diet because it is high in protein concentration, and it is also a good source of calcium, phosphorus, and other minerals. Fish meal is particularly popular in aquaculture feeds because of its high protein content, high digestibility, and balanced amino acid profile for aquatic animals. However, price of fish meal is expected to increase substantially over the next few years as aquaculture production increases, which will in turn affect profitability and economic sustainability of the aquaculture industry. Sustainability of the aquaculture industry could be achieved by either reducing the amount of fish meal in fish diets or by finding alternative ingredients equivalent to the fish meal in terms of protein concentration and other nutritional requirements.

Thus, there remains a need for sustainable and economical alternatives that can partially or substantially replace fish meal from fish diets without compromising on the nutritional requirements of the aquatic animals and without affecting performance of the aquatic animals.

SUMMARY

In one aspect of the present disclosure, a fish diet is disclosed. The fish diet includes a fish meal and at least one of a first meal prepared from chicken feathers and a second meal prepared from algae. The at least one of the first meal and the second meal is mixed with the fish meal in a desired proportion. The algae is macro-algae of species Ulva fasciata. The fish diet further includes soybean meal, wheat flour, wheat bran, corn starch, fish oil, vitamin and mineral premix, yeast, or any combination thereof. More specifically, the vitamin and mineral premix includes retinol, cholecalciferol, alpha tocopheryl acetate, ascorbic acid, menadione sodium bisulphite, thiamine hydrochloride, riboflavin, cyanocobalamin, nicotinamide, folic acid, calcium pantothenate, biotin, ethoxyquin, cobalt sulphate, copper sulphate, iron sulphate, manganese oxide, zinc sulphate or any combination thereof.

The fish diet further includes crude protein content of about 44 percent to about 45 percent by weight, crude protein content of about 44 percent to about 45 percent by weight, crude fat content of about 11 percent to about 12 percent by weight, comprising crude fiber content of about 2 percent to about 3 percent by weight, moisture content of about 4 percent to about 6 percent by weight, and ash content of about 6 percent to about 9 percent by weight. The fish diet includes at least about 65 percent of the fish meal. Further, up to 35 percent of the fish meal is replaced with the first meal and up to 20 percent of the fish meal is replaced with the second meal.

In another aspect of the present disclosure, a method of preparing a fish diet is disclosed. The method includes grounding treated chicken feathers and blending the grounded chicken feathers to obtain a first meal. The method further includes grounding air-dried algae and blending the grounded algae to obtain a second meal. The method further includes mixing at least one of the first meal and the second meal with a fish meal to obtain the fish diet. The fish diet further includes soybean meal, wheat flour, wheat bran, corn starch, fish oil, vitamin and mineral premix, yeast, or any combination thereof. More specifically, the vitamin and mineral premix includes retinol, cholecalciferol, alpha tocopheryl acetate, ascorbic acid, menadione sodium bisulphite, thiamine hydrochloride, riboflavin, cyanocobalamin, nicotinamide, folic acid, calcium pantothenate, biotin, ethoxyquin, cobalt sulphate, copper sulphate, iron sulphate, manganese oxide, zinc sulphate or any combination thereof.

The method further includes replacing up to 35 percent of the fish meal with the first meal and replacing up to 20 percent of the fish meal with the second meal. In one embodiment, the method further includes washing raw chicken feathers in water and placing the washed chicken feathers in a circulating air-drying oven. Also, the method includes soaking the chicken feathers in sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution and autoclaving the chicken feathers to obtain the treated chicken feathers. Further, the method includes placing the washed chicken feathers in the circulating air-drying oven at a temperature of 60 °C for about 24 hours. The method includes soaking the chicken feathers in 0.5 percent of NaOH solution for about 24 hours at a room temperature and autoclaving the chicken feathers at a pressure of 2.5xl0⁵ Pa and at a temperature of 121°C for about 30 minutes.

Other features and aspects of this disclosure will be apparent from the following description and the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a method of preparing a fish diet, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a method of processing raw chicken feathers to obtain treated chicken feathers, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 illustrates a tabular representation of experimental feeds formulation and proximate composition of the experimental feeds;

FIG. 4 illustrates a tabular representation of proximate composition of whole body tissue and dorsal muscle of fish fed with the experimental feeds; and

FIG. 5 illustrates a tabular representation of growth and feed utilization in the fish fed with the experimental feeds.

DETAIFED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to specific embodiments or features, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, corresponding or similar reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or corresponding parts. Moreover, references to various elements described herein, are made collectively or individually when there may be more than one element of the same type. However, such references are merely exemplary in nature. It may be noted that any reference to elements in the singular may also be construed to relate to the plural and vice-versa without limiting the scope of the disclosure to the exact number or type of such elements unless set forth explicitly in the appended claim.

The present disclosure relates to a fish diet and a method of preparing the fish diet. The fish diet is prepared for animals, such as aquatic animals. In an implementation, the fish diet may include a fish meal and at least one of a first meal prepared from chicken feathers and a second meal prepared from algae. The first meal may alternatively be referred to as chicken feather meal and the second meal may alternatively be referred to as algae meal. In an implementation, the at least one of the first meal and the second meal may be mixed with the fish meal in a desired proportion. In one example, 35 percent of the first meal may be mixed with 65 percent of the fish meal. In another example, 20 percent of the second meal may be mixed with 80 percent of the fish meal. The fish diet may include at least about 65 percent of the fish meal. In one implementation, up to 35 percent of the fish meal may be replaced with the first meal. In another implementation, up to 20 percent of the fish meal may be replaced with the second meal. As may be understood, the fish meal is partially replaced with the first meal (chicken feather meal) and/or the second meal (algae meal).

The fish diet may further include soybean meal, wheat flour, wheat bran, corn starch, fish oil, vitamin and mineral premix, yeast, or any combination thereof. Further, the vitamin and mineral premix may include retinol, cholecalciferol, alpha tocopheryl acetate, ascorbic acid, menadione sodium bisulphite, thiamine hydrochloride, riboflavin, cyanocobalamin, nicotinamide, folic acid, calcium pantothenate, biotin, ethoxyquin, cobalt sulphate, copper sulphate, iron sulphate, manganese oxide, zinc sulphate or any combination thereof. In an implementation, the fish diet may include crude protein content of about 44 percent to about 45 percent by weight, crude fat content of about 11 percent to about 12 percent by weight, and crude fiber content of about 2 percent to about 3 percent by weight. Further, in an implementation, the fish diet may include moisture content of about 4 percent to about 6 percent by weight and ash content of about 6 percent to about 9 percent by weight.

According to an implementation, the fish diet may be prepared for use as a feed in a form of pellets. The pellets may refer to particulate chunks or pieces formed by an extrusion process. The pieces may vary in sizes and/or shapes, depending on the process or the equipment. In an example, pellets of consumable size may be prepared for the animals. In an implementation, the pellets may be prepared using a standard extruder of size 1 mm. In another implementation, the pellets may be prepared using a standard extruder of size 2 mm. This feed is then provided to the animals.

FIG. 1 illustrates a method 100 of preparing a fish diet, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

At step 102, the method 100 includes grounding treated chicken feathers. In one implementation, the treated chicken feathers may be grounded in a grinder. In an example, the grinder may be a meat grinder. In another example, the grinder may be a custom grinder designed to ground the chicken feathers into fine or coarse particles. As disclosed herein, the treated chicken feathers may be understood as chicken feathers that are autoclaved after washing, drying, and treating the chicken feathers using for example, sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution. The treated chicken feathers are high in protein and are highly digestible and palatable. The manner in which the treated chicken feathers are obtained is further described in detail in conjunction with FIG. 2.

Referring again to FIG. 1, at step 104, the method 100 includes blending the grounded chicken feathers to obtain a first meal. The first meal may alternatively be referred to as chicken feather meal. In one implementation, the grounded chicken feathers may be blended in a mixer. In an example, the mixer may be a vertical mixer.

At step 106, the method 100 includes grounding air-dried algae. In one implementation, the air-dried algae may be grounded in a grinder, for example, a meat grinder. In one implementation, fresh green algae are collected and air-dried. The air-dried algae are then grounded in the grinder. Alternatively, dried algae may be used in place of fresh green algae. In an example, the algae may be macro-algae of genus Ulva and species Ulvafasciata. Other edible algae that may be used in fish diet are contemplated herein.

At step 108, the method 100 includes blending the grounded algae to obtain a second meal. The second meal may alternatively be referred to as algae meal. In one implementation, the grounded chicken feathers may be blended in a mixer. In an example, the mixer may be a vertical mixer.

At step 110, the method 100 includes mixing at least one of the first meal and the second meal with a fish meal to obtain the fish diet. In an implementation, mixing at least one of the first meal and the second meal with the fish meal may include at least one of replacing up to 35 percent of the fish meal with the first meal, replacing up to 20 percent of the fish meal with the second meal, and a combination of replacing up to 35 percent of the fish meal with the first meal and replacing up to 20 percent of the fish meal with the second meal. In an implementation, the fish diet may further include soybean meal, wheat flour, wheat bran, corn starch, fish oil, vitamin and mineral premix, yeast or any combination thereof. Further, the vitamin and mineral premix may include retinol, cholecalciferol, alpha tocopheryl acetate, ascorbic acid, menadione sodium bisulphite, thiamine hydrochloride, riboflavin, cyanocobalamin, nicotinamide, folic acid, calcium pantothenate, biotin, ethoxyquin, cobalt sulphate, copper sulphate, iron sulphate, manganese oxide, zinc sulphate or any combination thereof, to ensure all nutritional requirements of the aquatic animals. FIG. 2 illustrates a method 200 of processing raw chicken feathers to obtain treated chicken feathers, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

At step 202, the method 200 includes washing raw chicken feathers in water. In an example, the raw chicken feathers may include feathers from different parts such as fluff, down, wing and tail feathers. The raw chicken feathers may be collected from local chicken farms after the chickens were slaughtered at six weeks of age. The chicken feathers are generally one of a protein rich waste bio-product of the chicken farm. The chicken farms usually discard the chicken feather or treat the chicken feathers to produce farm manure. The collected raw chicken feathers may be washed in water. Other examples of bird feathers, such as duck feathers, geese feathers, turkey feathers, and the like not discussed here are contemplated herein.

At step 204, the method 200 includes placing the washed chicken feathers in a circulating air-drying oven. In an implementation, the washed chicken feathers may be placed in the circulating air-drying oven at a temperature of 60 °C for about 24 hours. Other alternate methods of drying the chicken feather hygienically are contemplated herein.

At step 206, the method 200 includes soaking the chicken feathers in sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution. In an implementation, the chicken feathers may be soaked in different concentrations of NaOH solution, preferably in 0.5 percent of NaOH solution for about 24 hours at a room temperature. In an example, the NaOH solution may be a reagent-grade solution. Other reagent-grade solution that are safe on food products may be used herein.

At step 208, the method 200 includes autoclaving the chicken feathers to obtain the treated chicken feathers. In an implementation, the chicken feathers may be autoclaved at a pressure of 2.5xl0⁵ Pa and at a temperature of 121°C for about 30 minutes. According to an implementation, addition of NaOH solution in the chicken feathers followed by autoclaving results in high protein content and high nutritional value in the treated chicken feathers. In an example, Crude Protein (CP) level in the treated chicken feathers is about 97 percent. Further, in vitro pepsin digestibility of the treated chicken feathers is significantly increased in comparison to the raw chicken feathers. In an example, in vitro pepsin digestibility of the treated chicken feathers is about 58 percent. In an implementation, chicken feathers are processed to produce the treated chicken feathers which are rich in hydrophobic amino acids and essential amino acids such as cysteine, arginine and threonine. INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The present disclosure describes the fish diet comprising the fish meal and at least one of the first meal prepared from chicken feathers and the second meal prepared from algae. The at least one of the first meal and the second meal is mixed with the fish meal, such that the fish meal is partially replaced with at least one of the first meal and the second meal.

An advantage of the present disclosure is that the fish meal is replaced with up to 35% of the first meal and up to 20% of the second meal without any significant difference in fish performance, i.e., Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR), final growth, Specific Growth Rate (SGR) and survival rate. Further, since fish meal is highly expensive and demanded for different purposes, fish diets that are prepared mostly from the fish meal are expensive and involve high operation costs. Hence, replacing the fish meal with the first meal (chicken feather meal) and the second meal (algae meal) in optimum percentages utilizes local raw materials derived from plants and animals, such as chicken feathers and algae. As a result, aquaculture operation costs involved are significantly reduced. Also, sustainability of the aquaculture industry is achieved as the fish diet prepared from the chicken feathers and algae is sustainable, economical and ecofriendly.

Another advantage of the present disclosure is that the fish diet prepared from the chicken feather meal and the algae meal is high in protein and highly digestible and palatable for animals, such as fish. The fish diet can be also be used as animal feed, organic fertilizers, and feed supplements, as the fish diet contains more than 90% protein and is rich in hydrophobic amino acids and essential amino acids such as cysteine, arginine and threonine.

Examples and Experiments

The following examples are provided to illustrate further and to facilitate the understanding of the present disclosure. Experimental feeds and analysis

Juvenile of marine seabream Spams aurata were obtained from Oman Development Aquaculture Company in Willayat Quriyat and used for feeding trial at Al-Hail Aquaculture Center. The fish were acclimatized in a round fiberglass tank having a diameter of about 1.2 meters. For the experiment, six isonitrogenous (comprising 44 percent of crude protein and measured by total nitrogen content) isoenergetic (22 kJ g ¹, calculated from proximate composition) feeds, hereinafter referred to as experimental feeds, were formulated for the fish. A first experimental feed (control diet or Feed 1) was formulated using various ingredients such as fish meal, soybean meal, wheat flour, wheat bran, com starch, fish oil, and vitamin and mineral premix. The other five experimental feeds were formulated each comprising a different level of the first meal (chicken feather meal or CFM) and the second meal (algae meal or AM), respectively, as a substitute for the fish meal. For example, a second experimental feed (Feed 2) was formulated with a formulation similar to the first experimental feed, except that 20 percent of the fish meal was replaced with 20 percent of the chicken feather meal. A third experimental feed (Feed 3) was formulated with a formulation similar to the first experimental feed, except that 35 percent of the fish meal was replaced with 35 percent of the chicken feather meal. A fourth experimental feed (Feed 4) was formulated with a formulation similar to the first experimental feed, except that 50 percent of the fish meal was replaced with 50 percent of the chicken feather meal. A fifth experimental feed (Feed 5) was formulated using various ingredients such as fish meal, algae meal, soybean meal, corn starch, fish oil, vitamin and mineral premix, and yeast, where 20 percent of the fish meal was replaced with 20 percent of the algae meal. A sixth experimental feed (Feed 6) was formulated with a formulation similar to the fifth experimental feed, except that 35 percent of the fish meal was replaced with 35 percent of the algae meal. The chicken feather meal and the algae meal may act as attractants and palatability enhancers in the experimental feeds.

Further, the vitamin and mineral premix (each lOOOg of dry diets) includes 1000 IU of retinol, 1500 IU of cholecalciferol, 200 IU of alpha tocopheryl acetate, 300 mg of ascorbic acid, 6 mg of menadione sodium bisulphite, 10 mg of thiamin HC1, 20 mg of riboflavin, 0.05 mg of cyanocobalamin, 200 mg of nicotinamide, 4 mg of folic acid, 25 mg of calcium pantothenate, 1 mg of biotin, 200 mg of ethoxyquin, 1 mg of cobalt sulphate, 5 mg of copper sulphate, 20 mg of iron sulphate, 75 mg of manganese oxide, and 150 mg of zinc sulphate.

A tabular representation of experimental feeds formulation and proximate composition of the experimental feeds is illustrated in FIG. 3.

For each algae based replacement experimental feed, green algae, Ulva fasciata, was collected fresh from southern Oman, during Southwestern (SW) monsoon. The fresh algae were then air-dried. Thereafter, the air-dried algae were grounded in a meat grinder and then blended in a vertical mixer. The blended algae were then mixed with the rest of the experimental feed ingredients. The experimental feed ingredients were then extruded through a 2 mm die and pelleted into 2 mm pellets. Further, for each chicken feathers based replacement experimental feed, treated chicken feathers were grounded in a meat grinder and then blended in a vertical mixer. Subsequently, the dried powdered material which was produced as a result of blending the grounded chicken feathers was mixed with the rest of the experimental feed ingredients. The experimental feed ingredients were then extruded through a 2 mm die and pelleted into 2 mm pellets. The experimental feeds (pelleted form) were then air-dried at a room temperature and stored at 5°C until further use. The manner in which the treated chicken feathers are prepared has already been described above, and thus not described herein for the sake of brevity.

The fish acclimatized in the fiberglass tank were fed with the control diet until use. At the start of the experiment, the fish were selected and weighed individually. Healthy fish with an average body weight of 17 ± 1 gram were randomly assigned to six experiment tanks of 160 liters each at an initial stocking density of 10 fish per experiment tank and cultured for 10 weeks. During the experiment, mean ambient water temperature and salinity of the experiment tanks was maintained at 28 ± 2.2°C and 36 ± 2.0 ppt, respectively. Each of experimental feeds was fed to fish stocked at respective experiment tanks. For example, Feed 1 was fed to fish stocked at first experiment tank, Feed 2 was fed to fish stocked at second experiment tank, and so on. The Fish were fed, three times a day, i.e., at 08:00 hours, at 14:00 hours, and at 18:00 hours till 10 weeks by slowly introducing the feed until the feeding response ceased. Each feed consumption was recorded for each experiment feed. As described above, the chicken feather meal and the algae meal may act as attractants and palatability enhancers in the experimental feeds. The attractability and palatability of experimental feeds comprising the chicken feather meal or the algae meal are shown in Table 1. In Table 1, means in a column with different superscripts (a, b, c, ab, and be) are significantly different (p < 0.05).

Table 1: Attractability and palatability of experimental feeds formulated to include treated chicken feather meal and algae meal as attractants and palatability enhancers

In one embodiment, fish were provided free access to experimental feeds and after 5 minutes, attractability and palatability (mg feed/g fish biomass) were measured. Further, fish in each experiment tanks were counted and weighed at the end of the experiment for the analysis of Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR), final growth, survival rate, and Specific Growth Rate (SGR).

Result

The analysis showed that dry matter, crude protein, ash, and crude fiber contents of dorsal muscle were not significantly affected (p <0.05) by all experimental feeds. However, fish fed with Feed 2 (comprising 20 percent of the chicken feather meal) showed high increase in lipid content of muscle in comparison to fish fed with other experimental feeds (p <0.05). A tabular representation of proximate composition of whole body tissue and dorsal muscle of fish, i.e., juvenile Spams aurata fed with experimental feeds comprising Feed 1, Feed 2, Feed 3, Feed 4, Feed 5, and Feed 6 for 10 weeks is illustrated in FIG. 4. As illustrated in FIG. 4, means in a row with different superscripts (a, b, c, d, ab, and be) are significantly different (p < 0.05).

Further, the analysis showed that FCR, final growth, survival rate, and SGR were not significantly different (p<0.05) among the experimental feeds except in Feed 4 (comprising 50 percent of the chicken feather meal) and Feed 6 (comprising 35 percent of the algae meal). Fish fed with Feed 6 displayed significantly higher FCR in comparison to fish fed with Feed 1 (comprising only fish meal), Feed 2 (comprising 20 percent of the chicken feather meal), Feed 3 (comprising 35 percent of the chicken feather meal), and Feed 5 (comprising 20 percent of the chicken feather meal) (P<0.05). A tabular representation of growth and feed utilization in the fish fed with the experimental feeds for 10 weeks is illustrated in FIG. 5. As illustrated in FIG. 5, means in a row with different superscripts (a, b, c, d, e, ab, and be) are significantly different (p < 0.05).

In addition, it was analyzed that the experimental feeds formulated for Spams aurata juveniles were highly digestible. From Table 2 provided below, it can be observed that Apparent Digestibility Coefficients (ADCs) of nutrients of experimental feeds - Feed 3 and Feed 5 are high in comparison to ADCs of other experimental feeds. Also, means in a row with different superscripts (a, b, c, d, e, f, and ab) are significantly different (p < 0.05).

Table 2: Apparent Digestibility Coefficients (ADCs %) of nutrients of experimental feeds It is understood that the examples, embodiments and teachings presented in this application are described merely for illustrative purposes. Any variations or modifications thereof are to be included within the scope of the present application as discussed.

Claims

CLAIMS What is claimed is:

1. A fish diet comprising: a fish meal; and at least one of a first meal prepared from chicken feathers and a second meal prepared from algae, wherein the at least one of the first meal and the second meal is mixed with the fish meal in a desired proportion.

2. The fish diet of claim 1 further comprising soybean meal, wheat flour, wheat bran, com starch, fish oil, vitamin and mineral premix, yeast, or any combination thereof.

3. The fish diet of claim 2, wherein the vitamin and mineral premix comprises retinol, cholecalciferol, alpha tocopheryl acetate, ascorbic acid, menadione sodium bisulphite, thiamine hydrochloride, riboflavin, cyanocobalamin, nicotinamide, folic acid, calcium pantothenate, biotin, ethoxyquin, cobalt sulphate, copper sulphate, iron sulphate, manganese oxide, zinc sulphate or any combination thereof.

4. The fish diet of claim 1 further comprising crude protein content of about 44 percent to about 45 percent by weight.

5. The fish diet of claim 1 further comprising crude fat content of about 11 percent to about 12 percent by weight.

6. The fish diet of claim 1 further comprising crude fiber content of about 2 percent to about 3 percent by weight.

7. The fish diet of claim 1 further comprising moisture content of about 4 percent to about 6 percent by weight.

8. The fish diet of claim 1 further comprising ash content of about 6 percent to about 9 percent by weight.

9. The fish diet of claim 1, wherein the fish diet comprises at least about 65 percent of the fish meal.

10. The fish diet of claim 1, wherein up to 35 percent of the fish meal is replaced with the first meal.

11. The fish diet of claim 1, wherein up to 20 percent of the fish meal is replaced with the second meal.

12. The fish diet of claim 1, wherein the algae is macro-algae of species Ulva fasciata.

13. A method of preparing a fish diet, the method comprising: grounding treated chicken feathers; blending the grounded chicken feathers to obtain a first meal; grounding air-dried algae; blending the grounded algae to obtain a second meal; and mixing at least one of the first meal and the second meal with a fish meal to obtain the fish diet.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the fish diet further comprises soybean meal, wheat flour, wheat bran, com starch, fish oil, vitamin and mineral premix, yeast or any combination thereof, and wherein the vitamin and mineral premix comprises retinol, cholecalciferol, alpha tocopheryl acetate, ascorbic acid, menadione sodium bisulphite, thiamine hydrochloride, riboflavin, cyanocobalamin, nicotinamide, folic acid, calcium pantothenate, biotin, ethoxyquin, cobalt sulphate, copper sulphate, iron sulphate, manganese oxide, zinc sulphate or any combination thereof.

15. The method of claim 13 further comprising, replacing up to 35 percent of the fish meal with the first meal.

16. The method of claim 13 further comprising, replacing up to 20 percent of the fish meal with the second meal.

17. The method of claim 13 further comprising: washing raw chicken feathers in water; placing the washed chicken feathers in a circulating air-drying oven; soaking the chicken feathers in sodium hydroxide (NaOH) solution; and autoclaving the chicken feathers to obtain the treated chicken feathers.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising, placing the washed chicken feathers in the circulating air-drying oven at a temperature of 60 °C for about 24 hours.

19. The method of claim 17 further comprising, soaking the chicken feathers in 0.5 percent of NaOH solution for about 24 hours at a room temperature.

20. The method of claim 17 further comprising, autoclaving the chicken feathers at a pressure of 2.5x10^s Pa and at a temperature of 121°C for about 30 minutes.