Review on using of housefly maggots (Musca domestica) in fish diets

Abstract

The main animal protein ingredient in fish diets is most often fishmeal because of its nutritional quality. However, the limited availability and increasingly cost of fishmeal has lead to investigations of either lowering or replacing the fishmeal content with more economic protein sources of animal and/or plant origin. The research for suitable and cost-effective alternative protein sources for use in commercial fish diets will be the most critical factor in the development of intensive aquaculture. Insect meals are nutritious and healthy alternatives to fishmeal because of its rich nutritional values especially protein, fat and minerals. Housefly maggot (Musca domestica) meal is also rich in B complex vitamins, trace elements and phosphorus. From the results of previous studies, Housefly maggot meal can be successfully used to replace fishmeal portion partially or completely in the fish diets. Also, the results observed that not physiological stressful was introduced in the fish by feeding Housefly maggot meal diets. This indicates that Housefly maggots meal were well utilized by the fish thus resulting in good growth of fish. In other study, observed a best performance of fish that fed diets containing maggot meal over those solely fed on fishmeal diets. This is a reflection of the nutritional quality and acceptance of this biomaterial.