A review of the available data on the amino acid requirements and raw material digestibility of grass carp

Key Information

• Grass carp production is the largest finfish aquaculture industry in China, with an increasing volume of commercial feed production. This justifies the need to improve our understanding of the dietary nutrient requirements of this species in order to produce them more efficiently. 
• Available data on the amino acid requirements of grass carp show high variability and do not cover the whole production cycle, especially for the market sizes produced in South China.
• Data on the nutrient digestibility of ingredients is essential to formulate diets on a digestible nutrient basis and to better evaluate the nutritional value of ingredients. Although the number of studies concerning the amino acid digestibility of ingredients by grass carp is limited, the available data cover the major ingredients used by the grass carp feed producers. 
• More studies investigating amino acids requirements and digestibility of different ingredients for different life stages of grass carp would further contribute to the rapid development of this industry.

Introduction