Feed evaluation is a method of measuring the amount of nutrients in a portion of prepared food and the quality of these nutrients. That is, food evaluation gives an idea about the usefulness of food.
Importance of Fish Feed Evaluation and Quality Estimation
- Knowing the nutritional value of any prepared food;
- Measuring food preparation time and the amount of nutrients lost as a result of processing or warehousing;
- Determining the digestibility of food as a result of moisture and oxidation;
- Forecasting of expected fish production in the application of prepared food;
- Knowing food preparation formulas and proper determination methods and
- Determining the financial viability of using prepared food;
Things to Consider When Evaluating Fish Food
To evaluate any prepared fish food, it is necessary to first examine the normal structure and taste of the food. If the texture of the prepared food changes or the normal taste is lost, it should be assumed that the quality of the food has decreased or deteriorated. It is necessary to visually examine whether the food is moist, whether there is any fungus in the food, whether there are any inorganic substances or insects in the food. It is necessary to check whether the ingredients used in the prepared food contain anti-nutrient or anti-growth products. Rotten or burnt odor indicates too much deterioration in the quality of food. If the food is wet or moist, it can be infected with fungus.
Process for Fish Feed Evaluation and Quality Estimation
The quality of food ingredients and prepared food needs to be monitored very closely. Food quality is usually determined in three ways, viz
- Biological process
- Chemical process
- Economic process
Biological Process
The biological method is the best method of food evaluation. In this method, fish of the same age as any species are reared in two different ponds. One pond is supplied with pre-existing nutritious food and the other is used. Then after a certain period of time, the nutritional value and usefulness of the food to be used are determined by reviewing the growth of the fish in both cases. It should be noted that in this case the water quality of both the ponds and the balance of natural food in the water is controlled. This method does not know the amount of nutrients in any food. In this case, the overall quality of food can only be guessed.
Chemical Process
Chemical evaluation is a method of measuring the amount of different nutrients in a portion of food through various experiments in the laboratory. Chemical evaluation reveals the levels of different components of food. Therefore, it is not possible to have an idea about the overall quality of food without knowing the level of different nutrients in a balanced diet. This method of determining the quality of food is called proximate analysis.
Economic Process
The economic method is to determine the quality of food by determining the relationship of production with the applied food through financial analysis. For example, by applying two types of food to two water bodies with the equal environment, the more profitable food is considered as economically profitable food through financial analysis.