Authors: Zuzanna Mikołajczak, Mateusz Rawski, Jan Mazurkiewicz, Bartosz Kierończyk, Damian Józefiak
Publications: Animals, DOI: 10.3390/ani10061031
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/10/6/1031
The replacement of fishmeal by environmentally sustainable alternative meals has been one of the targets in aquaculture in recent decades. A number of factors support the use of insect meals, as a group of products characterized by high crude protein and crude fat content, in fish nutrition. Insects are readily accepted by a number of fish species, and they are part of the natural diet of omnivorous and carnivorous species. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of hydrolyzed Tenebrio molitor and Zophobas morio meals as a partial replacement for fishmeal in sea trout (Salmo trutta m. trutta) diets on growth performance, feed utilization, organosomatic indices, serum biochemistry, gut histology, and microbiota. In the present study, insect meals inclusion did not cause any adverse impacts on growth performance, feed utilization or gut histomorphology. However, an effect on the organosomatic indices, serum biochemistry, and microbiota was observed. In conclusion, hydrolyzed T. molitor and Z. morio meals seem to be promising alternative protein sources for sea trout nutrition.