This study was carried out to evaluate effects of phytase (0, 1,000, and 2,000 uf/kg) on apparent P availability of five energetic feeds (corn, extruded corn, wheat meal, rice meal and low-tannin sorghum) and five protein feeds (extruded soy, soybean meal, sunflower meal, cottonseed meal and corn gluten) using a purified diet as control. One hundred (100.00 ± 5.00 g) Nile tilapia juveniles (Oreochromis niloticus) were allotted to ten cages to allow feeding and fecal collection. For each feed and each phytase level evaluated samples were collected from five cages, in a total of five replications per treatment. The obtained results showed that the phytase supplementation up to 2,000 uf/kg did not increase apparent P availability present in wheat meal or cottonseed meal. However, the level of 1,000 uf/kg increased the apparent P availability present in extruded soy and sunflower meal, while the level of 2,000 uf/kg promoted this response for corn meal, extruded corn, low-tannin sorghum, rice meal, soybean meal and corn gluten.
mineral; nutrition; Oreochromis niloticus; phosphorus; phytase; tilapia
