Use of High Oleic Corn in Catfish Feeds

High oleic corn is a genetic variant that contains more protein, lipid, and oleic acid and less linoleic acid than regular corn. A study was conducted to compare weight gain and feed conversion of year‐1 and year‐3 channel catfish Ietalurus punctatus , and processing yield, body composition and frozen storage stability of year‐3 channel catfish fed high oleic corn and number 2 yellow (regular) corn in extruded production diets. A commercial‐type diet formulated to contain 30% protein and made with regular corn served as a control. A second diet contained high oleic corn in place of regular corn on an equal (air‐dry) weight basis. A third diet contained high oleic corn in substitution for regular corn and part of the soybean meal to limit protein content to 28%, which was equal to that of the control diet. The experimental diets were fed to year‐1 channel catfish (average initial weight 5.1 g) in aquaria for 10 wk and to year‐3 channel catfish (average initial weight 1.07 kg) in 0.04–ha ponds for 14 wk. Substitution of high oleic corn for regular corn on an equal (air‐dry) weight basis provided significant gain ( P < 0.01) of year‐1 channel catfish but not of year‐3 fish. Use of high oleic corn diets designed to be equal in protein content did not affect weight gain of either group of fish. Replacement of regular corn with high oleic corn caused a significant ( P < 0.01) reduction in linoleic acid but no significant ( P > 0.20) increase in oleic acid in the flesh of fish. Proximate body composition, dressing yield, fillet yield, visceral fat, and liver weight were not significantly different among treatments. Sensory scores of fillets frozen for 3 and 6 mo were not significantly different among treatments. Peroxide value, thiobarbituric acid number and free fatty acids increased with frozen storage time but were not different among treatments.