Sustainable fisheries and biodiversity conservation: the potential of insect protein to replace fishmeal in aquaculture
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17386965Keywords:
Aqua-feed, Conservation, Biodiversity, Fishmeal, SustainabilityAbstract
Aquaculture is an important source of food but it is also dependent on fishmeal, a high-protein ingredient made by using wild caught fish posing risks of overfishing and sustainability. The present study explored the potential of black soldier fly (BSF) and mealworm (MW) larvae as sustainable substitutes for fishmeal in aquafeeds. Experimental trial was performed in triplicates for 60 days under completely randomized design. The results demonstrated that the highest growth performance was observed in 75 % BSF based diet. The 75% BSF based diet led to highest weight gain, SGR and FCR of 14.53 ± 0.43 g, 1.837 ± 0.038 and 1.313 ± 0.071 respectively. Likewise, the data showed that the best growth performances were in 50% MW based diet group. Maximum weight gain, and better SGR and FCR were recorded in the 50% MW based diet group as 15.56 ± 0.41g, 1.763 ± 0.029 and 1.140 ± 0.070 respectively. Enzyme activity analysis revealed that BSF 75% and MW 50% diets significantly enhanced protease activity (16.99 ± 0.39 U/mg and 16.96 ± 0.36 U/mg, respectively), lipase activity (0.68 ± 0.02 U/mg), and amylase activity (2.33 ± 0.05 U/mg) as compared to the control group. Antioxidant enzyme activities including catalase (1.82 ± 0.05 U/mg) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) (1.84 ± 0.03 U/mg for BSF 75%), also increased significantly. The recorded water quality parameters fell within the optimal range for the growth of Labeo rohita and non-significant differences were observed between the BSF and MW diets groups. The data indicated that insect-derived proteins, especially BSF and MW proteins have the potential to replace fishmeal in aquafeeds without compromising growth performance and fish health. Further studies are required to determine optimal inclusion levels for long-term sustainability and to alleviate the pressure on wild fish stocks used for fishmeal.
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