ABSTRACT
Nutritional researchers have successfully identified many nutrients essential to the growth and health of animals and man. Many nutritionists have been concerned about the removal of fibre from these semi-purified diets and as a consequence believe that an essential dietary ingredient has been omitted. The tendency for nutritionists to use the term fibre instead of 'roughage' or 'bulk' probably arises from the extensive use of traditional methods of 'crude fibre' analysis. A material that is generally believed to provide no nutritive value is an important tool in nutrition research. From the limited studies conducted to date, it is evident that no clear picture has emerged regarding the nutritional value of dietary fibre for fish. The earliest study on the nutritive value of dietary fibre in natural ingredients for fish was that of A. Bondi, A. Spandorf and R. Calmi.
