Table 6.
Application and effects of using the yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) in the diets of sparids (family Sparidae).
| Sparids | Dietary Yellow Mealworm (T. molitor) | Effects | Recommended FM Replacement Level or Inclusion Doses | References | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fish Species | Initial bwt (g) | Worm Stage/Form | FM Replacement Levels or Dietary Inclusion Doses | Duration (days) | |||
| Gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) | ~45 | Larvae | 25% and 50% of FM replaced | 60 | No adverse effects on WG and FBW with slight ↓ PER and FCR in the 25% YMW group ↓ Growth in the 50% YMW group No differences in whole-body composition |
25% FM replacement | Piccolo, et al. [27] |
| ~105 (Exp. 1) |
Full-fat larvae | 25% and 50% dietary inclusion (equal to 35% and 71% of FM replaced) |
163 | Exp. 1 Higher FBW, SGR, WG%, and PER and lower FCR in the 25% YMW group Exp. 2 Lowest dressed yield % in the 50% YMW group Highest VSI values in the 50% YMW group |
25% dietary inclusion | Piccolo, et al. [26] | |
| ~87 (Exp. 2) | |||||||
| ~105.2 | Full-fat larvae | 50% of FM replaced | 163 | 598 OTUs belonging to Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and Actinobacteria 62.2% of OTUs in gut absent before FM replacement |
50% FM replacement | Antonopoulou, et al. [57] | |
| ~105.2 | Full-fat larvae | 25% and 50% dietary inclusion | 163 | Higher alanine, leucine, and lysine in the 50% YMW group ↓ Histidine, taurine, and phenylalanine in YMW groups Higher arginine, leucine, phenylalanine, glycine, histidine, and proline in the 50% YMW group |
Up to 50% dietary inclusion | Iaconisi, et al. [53] | |
| Blackspot seabream (Pagellus bogaraveo) | ~171.25 | Full-fat larvae | 25% and 50% of FM replaced | 131 | No differences in FI, FCR, SGR, slaughter traits, and yield No effects on water-holding capacity, hardness, cohesiveness, resilience, and proximate composition of fillets ↓ pH in the 50% YMW group |
25% FM replacement | Iaconisi, et al. [18] |
| Red seabream (Pagrus major) | 22.8–27.3 | Defatted larvae | 25%, 40%, and 65% dietary inclusion (38%, 60%, and 100% of FM replaced) 5% and 10% dietary inclusion (10% and 20% of FM replaced) |
28 56 |
Highest FBW, SGR, and WG in the 100% YMW group No effects on FCR and FI Higher RPS in the 10% YMW group after challenge with Edwarseilla tarda |
Up to 100% FM replacement | Ido, et al. [29] |
Abbreviations: FBW: final body weight; FCR: feed conversion ratio; FI: feed intake; FM: fish meal; FO: fish oil; OTUs: operational taxonomic units; PER: protein efficiency ratio; RPS: relative percentage survival; SGR: specific growth rate; VSI: viscerosomatic index; WG%: weight gain percentage; WG: weight gain; YMW: yellow mealworm; ↑ = increase; ↓ = decrease.