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net/New-Proteins/Articles/2017/8/Heading-towards-total-replacement-of-fish-meal-
175932E/?cmpid=NLC|allaboutfeed|2017-08-25|Heading_towards_total_replacement_of_fish_meal
The ingredients used in aquafeed are generally based on fish meal and soybean meal but are considered
nowadays as non-sustainable to feed farmed fish. Novel sources of proteins are thus necessary to replace
or partially replace conventional ingredients for which there is an increasing demand due to the
intensification of farming methods. Several studies have shown that insect-based ingredients could be a
good candidate as fish meal alternative (see review by Henry et al, 2015). As of 1 July 2017, the EU
Regulation 2017/893 has authorised the use of insect proteins in aquafeed from seven insect species
including the yellow mealworm, Tenebrio molitor.
Several studies have shown that insect-based ingredients could be a good candidate as fishmeal alternative.
Photo: Entomo Farm
Previous studies evaluated the effect on the performance, feed utilisation and body composition of Black
Soldier Fly (BSF) larvae meal in the diet of Nile tilapia but no significant differences were found between the
different treatments (Devic et al, 2017). Insect composition varies according to the species, the stage, the diet
and the rearing conditions. Yellow mealworm composition is thus different to Black Soldier Fly composition
and the following results show that T. molitor is a better candidate to replace fish meal in the diet of tilapia.
The trial was conducted with 4 dietary treatments: a control diet containing 15% fishmeal and 5% porcine blood
meal as major protein sources, and 3 diets in which the insect meal was incorporated at 10, 15 and 20% at the
expenses of the fishmeal and porcine blood. All diets were isonutrigenous, isolipidic and isoenergetic. At the
start of the experiment, the mean initial body weight of the fishes was 10.7 0.4 grams. Growth was monitored
through intermediate samplings carried out on day 13, day 31, day 46 and day 61.
Figure 1 Final body weight (in grams) of tilapia fed the various dietary treatments.
Figure 2 Specific growth rate (in %/day) of tilapia fed the various dietary treatments.