Comparative Analysis of Australian Red Claw Crayfish Growth, Protein Content Nad Meat Characteristics Across Diverse Natural Feeds

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the growth performance, feed conversion ratio (FCR), mortality rates, protein content, meat characteristics, and profitability of ARC crayfish fed with different natural feeds. Results showed that crayfish fed with commercial feeds had the highest weight gain and a better feed conversion ratio (28.2) compared to natural feeds. Crayfish fed with trash fish and eggshell had the highest mean mortality (4.33). The highest crude protein was recorded from crayfish fed with a combination of vegetables, trash fish, and eggshell. For sensory evaluation, it showed that crayfish fed with vegetables and eggshell had the best meat taste, texture, and aroma. Lastly, the highest ROI was observed in crayfish fed with trash fish and eggshell. Overall, these findings focused on the potential of other natural feeds as alternatives to commercial crayfish feeds.