The U.S. Grains Council (USGC) and United Sorghum Checkoff Program (USCP) are on the road to demonstrate the potential of U.S. sorghum to supply Southeast Asia’s most affordable protein source – fish. 

The Council recently concluded in-country feeding trials to test the viability of substituting sorghum or corn for cassava, with support from the USCP, for Pangasius, a large catfish species native to Southeast Asia. The trials concluded both grains could replace cassava as a source of starch for feeding Pangasius. 

Results showed no difference between the sources of starch on growth performance, fillet color or physical properties of feed pellet quality (density and floatability). Beyond starch, sorghum is also low in tannins and contains higher protein than cassava as well as more amino acids (similar to corn), particularly tryptophan and threonine. 

The Council and USCP are showcasing these results during travel August 27 to September 2 to Vietnam and Thailand, including to one of the world’s leading seafood trade shows – VietFish 2017. Every year, nearly 200 local and international exhibitors participate in the show, with approximately 30,000 visitors from Vietnam and around the world attending. The Council and USCP are conducting a series of seminars during the tradeshow as well as distributing the trial results at technical workshops and discussions in subsequent visits in Thailand. 

Please find snapshots shared thus far during the showcase tour at https://flic.kr/s/aHsm48iqNk.

Find the full report on the catfish feeding trial results here.