Table 7.
Application and effects of using the yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) in the diets of several other fish species.
| Fish Species | 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) | |||
| Rockfish (Sebastes schlegeli) |
~150 | Dried larvae | Mixing YMW with basal diet (30:70 ratio) | 28 | High digestibility for CP, CL, and GE | Mixing YMW with basal diet (30:70) | Jang, et al. [115] |
| ~2.6 | Larvae | 8%, 16%, 24%, and 32% dietary inclusion | 56 | ↓ WG, and FBW in 32% YMW than control No effects on daily FI and PER No effects on TP, ALT, AST, TG, TBIL, ALB, and TCHO |
Up to 24% dietary inclusion | Jeong, et al. [91] | |
| ~3.11 | Mealworm | 8%, 16%, 24%, and 32% dietary inclusion with methionine or 32% dietary inclusion without methionine |
56 | ↑ WG, PR, and SGR with ↑ YMW up to 16% ↓ WG, PR, and SGR with ↑ YMW over 16% to 32% Plasma TG level negatively affected by YMW No effects on serum TP, ALT, AST, ALP, and TCHO No effects on whole-body composition, fillet analysis, and EAAs |
Not more than 16% dietary inclusion | Khosravi, et al. [72] | |
| Zebrafish (Danio rerio) |
Larval stage | Mealworm | 20% and 30% of FM replaced | 70 | No impacts on LC-PUFAs such as ARA, EPA, and DHA | 20% FM replacement | Tetlow [116] |
| Black sea bass (Centropristis striata) | ~29.0 | Mealworm | 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% FM replaced | 121 | ↑ FBW, WG, FI, and SGR in the 25% YMW group Higher final length, length gain, and SGR length in the 25% YMW group than 75% and 100% YMW groups |
25% FM replacement | Redman, et al. [67] |
| Mandarin fish (Siniperca scherzeri) |
~20.8 | Full-fat larvae | 10%, 20%, and 30% dietary inclusion | 56 | No effects on FI, SR%, HSI, VSI, CF, and body composition No effects on TP, ALB, ALT, AST, ALP, and TG ↑ Serum LYZ, and GSH-Px in 30% YMW group No effects on SOD, MPO, and TIg |
Up to 20% dietary inclusion | Sankian, et al. [73] |
| Mirror carp (Cyprinus carpio var. specularis) | ~13.98 | YMWO | 25 g YMWO/kg | 59 | Compared to BSFLO-supplemented group No differences SR%, CF, GRL, HSI, KI, VSI, SI, and body composition ↑ Hepatic MDA levels No differences in ALB, TP, ALT, AST, ALP, TCHO, and TG ↑ Expression of hepatic IL-1β, and TNF-α genes |
25 g/kg | Xu, et al. [75] |
| Pearl gentian grouper (Epinephelus lanceolatus ♂ × E. fuscoguttatus ♀) |
~6.60 | Mealworm | 6.25%, 12.5%, 18.75%, 25%, and 31.25% of FM replaced | 50 | No effects on SGR andTGC ↓ Hepatic SOD and MDA in the 18.75% YMW group Highest RPS in the 18.75% YMW group |
12.3% FM replacement in diet | Song, et al. [65] |
| Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baerii) | ~640 | Larvae | 15% dietary inclusion | 60 | No differences FBW, WG, FCR, SGR, PER, and SR% ↑ Thickness of muscular layer of intestine ↑ Cl. coccoides–Eubacterium rectale cluster, Bacillus spp., Carnobacterium spp., and Enterococcus spp. |
15% FM replacement in diet | Józefiak, et al. [58] |
| Japanese flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) |
~287.5 | Larvae | 7%, 17%, and 27% of FM replaced | 42 | 17% FM replacement group has ↑ WG and SGR and better FCR with no significant effect on HSI | 17% FM replacement | Kim, et al. [64] |
| African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) |
~5.1 | Mealworm powder | 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100% of FM replaced | 49 | Highest FBW, WG%, SGR, PER, and NPU% in the 20% YMW group Higher whole-body CP in the 20% YMW group 100% YMW = slight decline FBW, SGR, FER, PER, and NPU% No mortality among all groups Higher whole-body CL content No effects on carcass CP content |
Up to 80% of FM replacement |
Ng, et al. [62] |
| Yellow catfish (Pelteobagrus fulvidraco) | ~10.04 | Mealworm | 9, 18 and 27 g/100 g diet (equal to 25%, 50%, and 75% of FM replaced) |
35 | ↓ Plasma MDA levels ↑ Plasma SOD with ↑ YMW levels at end of experiment and 24 h post-challenge with E. ictaluri ↑ LYZ in YMW groups 24 h post-challenge with E. ictaluri ↑ Plasma IgM levels Upregulation of MHC II, IL-1, IgM, and HE in YMW groups at end of experiment and 24 h post-challenge ↑ RPS in the 27% YMW group post-challenge |
75% FM replacement (18 g/100 g diet) | Su, et al. [20] |
| Common catfish (Ameiurus melas Raf.) |
~0.248 | Mealworm | 50% of FM replaced | 90 | ↓ FBW and SR% in YMW than FM group No effects on FCR |
50% FM replacement | Roncarati, et al. [63] |
| Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) |
~6.5 | Larvae | 25%, and 50% FM replaced | 42 | ↓ FBW, DGC, FCE, PER, and PERc No effects on FI, CF, and whole-body composition ↓ Hepatic SOD activity No effects on hepatic CAT, GSH-Px, GR, and GST Highest protease activity in stomach and intestine in the 25% YMW group followed by the 50% YMW group |
Up to 50% FM replacement | Sánchez-Muros, et al. [17] |
| Nile tilapia in biofloc |
~2.08 | Mealworm | 5, 10, 15 and 20% dietary inclusion |
42 | ↑ FWB, WG, SGR, FCR, his, and carcass composition (DM and EE) with ↑YMW levels | Up to 10% dietary inclusion | Tubin, et al. [74] |
Abbreviations: ALB: albumin; ALP: alkaline phosphatase; ALT: alanine aminotransferase; ARA: arachidonic acid; AST: aspartate aminotransferase; BSFO: black solider fly oil; CAT: catalase; CF: condition factor; CL: crude lipids; CP: crude protein; DGC: daily growth coefficient; DHA: docosahexaenoic acid; EAAs: essential amino acids; EPA: eicosapentaenoic acid; FBW: final body weight; FCE: Feed conversion efficiency; FCR: Feed conversion ratio; FER: Feed efficiency ratio; FI: Feed intake; FM: Fish meal; GR: Glutathione reductase; GRL: General relative intestine length; GSH-Px: glutathione peroxidase; GST: glutathione-S-transferase; HE: hepcidin; HSI: hepatosomatic index; IFI: intra-peritoneal fat index; IgM: immunoglobulin M; IL-1: interleukin-1; IL-1β: interleukin 1 beta; KI: Kidney index; LC-PUFAs: Long-chain poly-unsaturated fatty acids; LR: Lipid retention; LYZ: Lysozyme; MDA: Malondialdehyde; MHC II: Major histocompatibility complex 2; MPO: Myeloperoxidase; MUFAs: monounsaturated fatty acids; NPU%: net protein utilization percentage; PER: protein efficiency ratio; PERc: protein-efficiency-ratio-corrected crude protein; PR: protein retention; PUFAs: polyunsaturated fatty acids; RPS: relative percentage survival; SGR: specific growth rate; SI: spleen index; SOD: superoxide dismutase; SR%: survival rate percentage; TBIL: total bilirubin; TCHO: total cholesterol; TG: triglycerides; TGC: temperature growth coefficient; TIg: total immunoglobulin; TNF-α: tumor necrosis factor alpha; TP: total proteins; VSI: viscerosomatic index; WG%: weight gain percentage; WG: weight gain; YMW: yellow mealworm; YMWO: yellow mealworm oil; ↑ = increase; ↓ = decrease.