Abstract
The present experiment was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of dietary protein from black soldier fly, Hermetia illucens, larval meal (BSFL) to replace fish meal (FM) protein in juvenile barramundi, Lates calcarifer. Larvae of black soldier fly were fed with the underutilised crop, sesbania, Sesbania grandiflora. Five isonitrogenous (44% crude protein) and isocaloric (16.0 kJ available energy/g) experimental diets were formulated to replace FM using processed BSFL meal at 0 (control), 25% (BSFL25), 50% (BSFL50), 75% (BSFL75) and 100% (BSFL100). Data for proximate and amino acid analysis suggested BSFL meal as an inferior protein ingredient than FM, but parallel to soybean meal. At the end of 8 weeks of fish feeding trial, there were no significant differences in the average weight gain (WG) and specific growth rate among the group of fish-fed control, BSFL25 and BSFL50 diets (P < 0.05). Although numerical differences were recorded in the fish whole-body proximate composition, crude protein and moisture content were not much affected by the different dietary treatments. Essential amino acids including arginine, histidine, lysine and methionine were found to be higher in the whole body of fish-fed BSFL100 diet. Broken line regression analysis of average WG showed an optimum FM replacement level of 28.4% with BSFL meal. Therefore, the present experiment clearly demonstrates that the maximal dietary inclusion level of BSFL meal as FM protein replacer for the optimum growth of juvenile barramundi reared in freshwater could be greater than 28.4% but less than 50%, without any adverse effects on the fish whole-body proximate and amino acid composition.
Highlights
Aquaculture has become the fastest growing food-producing industry around the world; the production efficiency of aquaculture could be further increased through the development of nutritious and costeffective alternatives to traditional and finite marine protein feedstuffs such as fish meal (FM) (Suarez et al 2013; Katya et al 2014)
The overall nutrient content viz. crude protein, lipid and essential amino acid content of insect meal closely resemble with FM, and the pre-pupae meal have been demonstrated to be suitably alternative for FM (Kroeckel et al 2012; Lock et al 2015; Rana et al 2015) in several aquaculture species
The crude protein content was found to be highest for FM followed by soybean meal and BSFL meal
Summary
Aquaculture has become the fastest growing food-producing industry around the world; the production efficiency of aquaculture could be further increased through the development of nutritious and costeffective alternatives to traditional and finite marine protein feedstuffs such as fish meal (FM) (Suarez et al 2013; Katya et al 2014). A considerable number of researches have shed the light on the efficacy of dietary insect meal in several aquaculture species including tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus, salmon, Salmo salar, African catfish, Clarias gariepinus, turbot, Psetta maxima, and rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Kroeckel et al 2012; Fasakin et al 2003; Lock et al 2015; St-Hilaire et al 2007a, b; Ogunji et al 2007, 2008; Rana et al 2015) feeds. Crude protein, lipid and essential amino acid content of insect meal closely resemble with FM, and the pre-pupae meal have been demonstrated to be suitably alternative for FM (Kroeckel et al 2012; Lock et al 2015; Rana et al 2015) in several aquaculture species The overall nutrient content viz. crude protein, lipid and essential amino acid content of insect meal closely resemble with FM, and the pre-pupae meal have been demonstrated to be suitably alternative for FM (Kroeckel et al 2012; Lock et al 2015; Rana et al 2015) in several aquaculture species
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