Preliminary evaluation of Superworm ( Zophobas morio ) larval meal as a partial protein source in experimental diets for juvenile Asian sea bass, Lates calcarifer

Abstract

A 12-week feeding trial with Asian sea bass Lates calcarifer juveniles was conducted to evaluate the response of feeding defatted Superworm (Zophobas morio) larval meal on growth performance, feed utilization, apparent digestibility coefficient of nutrients and haemato-biochemical status for Asian sea bass. Five isonitrogenous (450 g/kg) and isolipidic (125 g/kg) experimental diets were formulated. A basal diet that contained no insect meal from defatted Superworm (DFSM) served as the control. Four diets were formulated where DFSM was included at 30 g/kg; 11.11% (DFSM-3), 60 g/ kg; 22.22% (DFSM-6), 90 g/kg; 33.33% (DFSM-9) and 120 g/kg; 44.44% (DFSM-12), respectively, on a dry matter basis. All essential amino acids (EAA) except methionine, phenylalanine and threonine in DFSM compared favourably with fishmeal (FM) and arginine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, tryptophan and valine were higher than that of FM. No significant (p > .05) differences in weight gain, specific growth rate and feed conversion ratio, hepato-somatic and viscera-somatic index were apparent among fish fed different levels of DFSM. Furthermore, no significant (p < .05) differences were found for apparent digestibility of dry matter (DM) and crude fat in response to dietary DFSM with different levels. A significant decreased linear relationship in the ADC of protein (p = .042) was noted as the level of DFSM incorporation increased in the experimental diet. No significant differences in haematocrit, MCHC and creatinine values were found among the experimental diets. However, a significant quadratic increase in haematocrit (p = .039) was detected as the level of DFSM increased in the diet. Serum cholesterol, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT) and glutamic oxaloacetate transaminase (GOT) were linearly reduced with the increasing of dietary DFSM (linear, p = .043; p = .023; p = .018; p = .028). The findings of the present study indicated that growth, feed efficiency and haemato-biochemical indices were not adversely affected by partial substitution of FM up to 120 g/kg dietary inclusion of Superworm meal. We discuss this in the context of aquafeed applications for marine fish production in Asia for more sustainable production using novel protein ingredients and wider implications.

Effects of Substituting the Two-Spotted Cricket (Gryllus bimaculatus) Meal for Fish Meal on Growth Performances and Digestibility of Striped Snakehead (Channa striata) Juveniles

“…From each replicate, 5 fish were randomly weighed at the end of the trial to calculate growth performance, feed utilization, and biometric indices. Final body weight (FBW, g), weight gain (WG, g), specific growth rate (SGR, %/day), feed conversion ratio (FCR, feed: gain), hepatosomatic index (HSI, %), and viscerosomatic index (VSI, %) were calculated using the following formulas as labeled beforehand by Prachom et al [ 43 ]: Weight Gain (WG, g fish −1 ) = FW − IW where Ln and t are t natural logarithmic and time in days, respectively. Hepatosomatic index (HSI, %) = liver weight/body weight × 100 Viscerosomatic index (VSI, %) = visceral weight/body weight × 100 …”

“…Briefly, after one month of feeding, the fecal samples were collected by hand siphoning from each aquarium every morning before the start of feeding. The feces were collected on filter paper for drying according to the protocol of Prachom et al [ 43 ]. The collected feces were dried in an oven at 50 °C for about 24 h and stored at −20 °C [ 44 ] until further chemical analysis.…”

Recent advances in the utilization of insects as an ingredient in aquafeeds: A review

“…(2018) Butter catfish ( Ompok pabda ) 0.6 Earthworm meal ( Perionyx excavates ) Boiled, oven-dried, and ground 260.4 g/kg (75%) 8 wk Chakraborty et al. (2021) Asian sea bass ( Lates calcarifer ) 12.52 ± 0.52 Defatted superworm larvae ( Zophobas morio ) Ground, defatted, oven-dried, and reground 120 g/kg (44%) 12 wk Prachom et al. (2021) Mozambique tilapia ( Oreochromis mossambicus ) 40 ± 2.5 Mopane worm ( Imbrasia belina ) Gutted, cooked in brine & sundried 24 g/kg (60%) 51 d Rapatsa and Moyo (2017) African catfish ( Clarias gariepinus ) 4.00 ± 0.8 Field cricket ( Gryllus bimaculatus ) meal Oven-dried and ground 300 g/kg (100%) 56 d Taufek et al.…”

Comparison of Nutritional Profiles of Super Worm (Zophobas morio) and Yellow Mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) as Alternative Feeds Used in Animal Husbandry: Is Super Worm Superior?

“…Many studies have already observed the influence of a TM-enriched diet on growth performances, weight gain and feed efficiency of broilers, laying hens and fish, where it was found that with proper diet composition, TM could be used as an alternative protein source [9,10,14]. One of the more recently investigated insects with great nutritional potential for future use as an alternative feedstuff is Zophobas morio (ZM), also known as super worm [15,16]. Female ZM lay more than 2000 eggs, and rearing conditions are very similar to TM, but reliable scientific data regarding its mass production are still largely lacking [16].…”

“…One of the more recently investigated insects with great nutritional potential for future use as an alternative feedstuff is Zophobas morio (ZM), also known as super worm [15,16]. Female ZM lay more than 2000 eggs, and rearing conditions are very similar to TM, but reliable scientific data regarding its mass production are still largely lacking [16]. Likewise, to the authors' best knowledge, published data on the nutritive evaluation of ZM and its integration into the diet of various animal species is still limited.…”