Table 2.
A summary of some studies that have shown effects when insects were used as a protein source in aquafeed.
| Insect species | Used part | Aquaculture species | Fish weight, g | Period | Inclusion level, % | Effect | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) | Frass | Hybrid tilapia, Nile × Mozambique (Oreocromis niloticus × O. mozambique) | 2.6 ± 0.04 | 12 wk | 5 to 30 | Improved protein efficiency, serum complement activity and resistance against Flavobacterium columnare and Streptococcus iniae | Yildirim-Aksoy et al. (2020) |
| Meal | Rice field eel (Monopterus albus) | 24.0 ± 0.02 | 10 wk | 15.78 | Improved growth performance and gut microbiota balance | Hu et al. (2020) | |
| Meal | Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) | 17.5 ± 7.5 | 8 wk | 66 to 100 | Down-regulation of stress and antioxidant-related gene expression in the leucocytes. | Stenberg et al. (2019) | |
| Defatted meal | Japanese seabass (Lateolabrax japonicus) | 14.1 ± 0.17 | 8 wk | 64 | Enhanced feed intake but lowered serum properties, blood lipid and inhibited lipid deposition | Wang et al. (2019) | |
| Meal | African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) | 4.0 ± 0.01 | 60 d | 50 | Improved growth performance and feed utilization and antioxidant enzymes. | Fawole et al. (2020) | |
| Meal | European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) | 50.0 ± 0.50 | 62 d | 22.5 | Reduced lipid oxidation in the fillet | Moutinho et al. (2021) | |
| Meal | Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) | 32.0 | 10 wk | 8 to16 | Successful prevention of soybean meal (SBM)-induced enteritis in the intestine and enhanced immune response | Kumar et al. (2021) | |
| Oil | Rainbow trout | 32.0 | 10 wk | 16 | Improved serum-peroxidase activity and upregulation of kidney interleukin-8 (IL-8), tumour necrosis factor (TNF), and interferon regulatory factor 1 (IRF-1) | Kumar et al. (2021) | |
| Meal | Pre-smolt Atlantic salmon | 49.0 ± 1.50 | 8 wk | 85 | Reduced the deposition of excess lipids in the pyloric caeca and stimulated xenobiotic metabolism. | Li et al. (2019) | |
| Meal | Rainbow trout | 137.0 ± 10.50 | 98 d | 50 | Activation of immune related genes such as interleukin 10 (IL-10), TNF-α and toll-like receptor 5 (TLR-5) | Cardinaletti et al. (2019) | |
| Meal | Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) | 0.67 ± 0.15 | 4 wk | 7.5 | Improved weight gain, feed conversion ratio (FCR) and specific growth rate (SGR) | Richardson et al. (2021) | |
| Meal | Barramundi (Lates calcarifer) | 1.74 ± 0.15 | 42 d | 30 | Improved growth and feed utilization, bactericidal activity and upregulation of immune-related genes such as interleukin 1 (IL-1) and IL-10 | Hender et al. (2021) | |
| Oil | Barramundi | 1.74 ± 0.15 | 42 d | 30 | Enhanced growth performance and upregulation of immune-related genes (IL-1 and IL-10) | Hender et al. (2021) | |
| Partially defatted meal | Rainbow trout | 178.9 ± 9.81 | 78 d | 50 | Sensitivity and modulation of intestinal bacterial community and structure. | Bruni et al. (2018) | |
| Meal | Atlantic salmon | 49.0 ± 1.5 | 8 wk | 60 | Modulation of intestinal microbiota, enrichment of beneficial bacteria | Li et al. (2021) | |
| Meal | Atlantic salmon | 1400 ± 43 | 16 wk | 15 | Improved microbial richness and diversity related to immune responses and barrier function in the distal intestine | ||
| Oil | Mirror carp (Cyprinus carpio var. specularis) | 2.74 | 8 wk | 50 to 100 | Enhanced growth and feed utilization and health parameters | Xu et al. (2020a) | |
| Meal | Atlantic Salmon | 34 | 7 wk | 12.5 | Reduction in enterocyte steatosis in pyloric caeca improved distal intestine histology and enhanced plasma lysozyme content | Weththasinghe et al. (2021) | |
| Meal | Rainbow trout | 201.8 ± 13.9 | 5 wk | 30 | Increased diversity and modulation of gut bacteria composition | Huyben et al. (2019) | |
| Pulp | Mirror carp | 13.68 ± 0.02 | 8 wk | 50 | Decreased whole-body lipid content and increased antioxidant enzyme activity | ||
| Meal | Rainbow trout | 100 | 131 d | 50 | Modulation of the gut microbial community by enhancing the abundance of bacteria taxa related to fish health | Rimoldi et al. (2021) | |
| Meal | Baltic prawn (Palaemon adspersu) | 0.49 ± 0.1 | 60 d | 18 | Improved growth performance and survival | Mastoraki et al. (2020) | |
| Meal | Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baerii) | 640 ± 3.9 | 60 d | 15 | Improved gut microbiota composition and intestinal morphology but reduced mucosa thickness in the gastrointestinal tract. | Józefiak et al. (2019b) | |
| Meal | Siberian sturgeon | 60 d | 50 | Lowered diet acceptance results in lowered growth and survival, decreased hepatic lipids and glycogen content, adverse effects on gut histology, but with a higher hepatic heat shock protein 70.1 (hsp70.1) gene expression | Zarantoniello et al. (2021) | ||
| Meal | Rainbow trout | 53.4 ± 3.74 | 71 d | 20 | Improved growth performance and an increased count of beneficial bacteria in the intestine | Józefiak et al. (2019a) | |
| Silkworm (Bombyx mori L.) pupae | Defatted meal | Pacific white shrimp (L. vannamei) | 0.2 ± 0.02 | 8 wk | 75 to 100 | Improved digestibility, antioxidant capacity and reduced molting time. | Rahimnejad et al. (2019) |
| Mealworm beetle, (TM) | Meal | Giant river prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) | 3.26 ± 0.13 | 10 wk | 12 | Improved growth performance, immune response, disease resistance against Lactococcus garvieae, and Aeromonas hydrophila. | Feng et al. (2019) |
| Defatted meal | Pacific white shrimp | 1.5 to 1.6 | 8 wk | 50 | Improved growth and feed conversion ratio, enhanced resistance against early mortality syndrome (Vibrio parahaemolyticus) | Motte et al. (2019) | |
| Partially defatted meal | Rainbow trout | 78.3 ± 6.24 | 154 d | 50 to 100 | Reduced apparent digestibility of crude protein | Chemello et al. (2020) | |
| Meal | Gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) | 105.2 ± 0.17 | 163 d | 50 | Establishment of novel nutritional niches in the gut | Antonopoulou et al. (2019) | |
| Meal | Gilthead seabream | 86.97 ± 2.3 | 163 d | 25 | Best final weight, specific growth rate, weight gain, protein efficiency ratio and a lower feed conversion ratio | Piccolo et al. (2017) | |
| Meal | European sea bass | 5.2 ± 0.82 | 70 d | 50 | Establishment of novel nutritional niches in the gut | Antonopoulou et al. (2019) | |
| Meal | Rainbow trout | 115.2 ± 14.21 | 90 d | 60 | Improved specialized gut bacterial community | Antonopoulou et al. (2019) | |
| Defatted meal | Red seabream (Pargus major) | 30.4 | 8 wk | 10 | Increased resistance against pathogenic Edwardsiella tarda bacteria | Ido et al. (2019) | |
| Meal | Rainbow trout | 115.6 ± 14 | 90 d | 50 | Increased activity of the antioxidant enzymes in the intestine and reduction of lipid peroxidation. Also increased antibacterial activity of the serum | Henry et al. (2018) | |
| Meal | European sea bass | 65.3 ± 5.7 | 6 wk | 25 | Enhanced lysozyme antibacterial activity and serum trypsin inhibition linked to the anti-parasite activity of the fish. | Henry et al. (2018) | |
| Meal | Rainbow trout | 105.2 ± 0.17 | 163 d | 50 | Reduction in some essential amino acids (Ala, Ile, Leu, and Lys). | Iaconisi et al. (2019) | |
| Meal | Rainbow trout | 1.11 ± 0.01 | 8 wk | 14 | Improved growth performance and lysozyme activities | Jeong et al. (2020) | |
| Meal | Baltic prawn (P. adspersu) | 0.49 ± 0.1 | 60 d | 18 | Higher protein and energy contents in the muscles | Mastoraki et al. (2020) | |
| Meal | Siberian sturgeon | 640 ± 3.9 | 60 d | 15 | Increased thickness of the muscular layer in the gastrointestinal tract and decreased the total number of bacteria | Józefiak et al. (2019b) | |
| Partially defatted | Rainbow trout | 78.3 ± 6.24 | 22 wk | 100 | Slight modulation observed in the gut and skin microbiota by reducing pathogenic bacteria count | Terova et al. (2021) | |
| Meal | Mandarin fish (Siniperca scherzeri) | 20.8 ± 0.05 | 8 wk | 30 | Improved growth and feed efficiency and enhanced serum lysozyme and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities. | Sankian et al. (2018) | |
| Meal | Yellow catfish (Pelteobagrus fulvidraco) | 10.0 ± 0.03 | 5 wk | 18 | Enhanced immune response and disease resistance against Edwardsiella ictaluri | Su et al. (2017) | |
| Meal | Rainbow trout | 53.4 ± 3.74 | 71 d | 20 | Improved growth performance, reduced villus height and increased count of beneficial bacteria in the intestine | Józefiak et al. (2019a) | |
| Meal | White shrimp | 2.39 ± 0.49 | 8 wk | 100 | Enhanced the weight gain, specific growth rate and feed conversion rate | Choi et al. (2018) | |
| Meal | Narrow-clawed crayfish (Pontastacus leptodactylus) | 0.011 ± 0.002 | 80 d | 50 | Improved weight gain, specific growth rate, protein efficiency ratio, apparent net protein utilization, molting frequency, and feed conservation ratio, but lower survival rate as compared to the other diet groups. Also improved protein and lipid content of the whole body | Mazlum et al. (2021) | |
| Meal | Black porgy, (Acanthopagrus schlegelii) | 6.43 ± 0.00 | 12 wk | 60 | Improved serum lysozyme activity and upregulation of antioxidant enzyme-related genes but with declined fillet lipid content | Jeong et al. (2022) | |
| Superworm larvae (Zophobas morio) | Meal | Nile tilapia | 3.00 ± 0.2 | 12 wk | 15 | Enhanced innate immune parameters (thrombocytes and neutrophils), liver and serum lysozyme activity, and complement system activity | Alves et al. (2021) |
| Housefly (Musca domestica) | Meal | Baltic prawn (P. adspersu) | 0.49 ± 0.1 | 60 d | 18 | Enhanced growth performance but lowered survival | Mastoraki et al. (2020) |
| Cricket (Gryllus bimaculatus) | Meal | African catfish | 13.2 ± 0.3 | 7 wk | 100 | Improved growth performance, haemoglobin, haematocrit and catalase activity | Taufek et al. (2016) |
| Tropical house cricket (Gryllodes sigillatus) | Meal | Rainbow trout | 53.4 ± 3.74 | 71 d | 20 | Lowered growth performance, reduced villus height and increased count of beneficial bacteria in the intestine | Józefiak et al. (2019a) |
| Turkestan cockroach (Blatta lateralis) | Meal | Rainbow trout | 53.4 ± 3.74 | 71 d | 20 | Improved growth performance, increased villus height and count of beneficial bacteria in the intestine | Józefiak et al. (2019a) |