A 71-day-long experiment was conducted to evaluate the inclusion of 20% Hermetia illucens (HI) meal; Tenebrio molitor (TM) meal; Gryllodes sigillatus (GS) meal; and Blatta lateralis (BL) meal in comparison to a control diet without any insect-based materials that used fish meal as the main source of protein. A total of 1950 rainbow trout juveniles (53.39 ± 3.74 g) were used. The formulated diets were isonitrogenous (45%) and isoenergetic (10 MJ kg ⁻¹ ). The inclusion of a full-fat insect meal did not affect the survival rate during the experimental period. The growth performance was significantly improved in the BL and TM treatments, while in the HI treatment was not affected. However, the GS treatment had a negative effect on the growth performance. The villus height decreased in the TM and GS treatment groups and increased in the BL diet group. The total number of bacteria increased in all insect meal diet groups. The results of the experiment show that B. lateralis , T. molitor and H. illucens full-fat meals can be used as a partial fish meal replacement without negative effects on survival or growth performance parameters. Moreover, full-fat insect meals may be considered as a protein source and a functional feed component that may positively affect the histomorphological structure of the fish gastrointestinal tract and stimulate the expansion of beneficial bacterial populations in the gut.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of partial (50%) or total replacement of soybean oil (SO) by black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) fat on the growth performance, coeff...

The present study is the first introduction of hydrolyzed superworm meal in sea trout nutrition. It was conducted to evaluate the effects of inclusion in the diet of hydrolyzed insect meals as a partial replacement for fishmeal on growth performance, feed utilization, organosomatic indices, serum biochemical parameters, gut histomorphology, and microbiota composition of sea trout (Salmo trutta m. trutta). The experiment was performed on 225 sea trout fingerlings distributed into three groups (3 tanks/treatment, 25 fish/tank). The control diet was fishmeal-based. In the experimental groups, 10% of hydrolyzed mealworm (TMD) and superworm (ZMD) meals were included. The protein efficiency ratio was lower in the TMD and ZMD. Higher organosomatic indices and liver lipid contents were found in the group fed ZMD. The ZMD increased levels of aspartate aminotransferase, and decreased levels of alkaline phosphatase. The Aeromonas spp. and Enterococcus spp. populations decreased in the ZMD. The concentrations of the Carnobacterium spp. decreased in the ZMD and TMD, as did that of the Lactobacillus group in the TMD. In conclusion, insect meals may be an alternative protein source in sea trout nutrition, as they yield satisfying growth performance and have the capability to modulate biochemical blood parameters and microbiota composition.

Two independent experiments were performed to evaluate the effect of nisin alone or with monensin on gut microbiota, gut microbial activities, and histomorphology (exp 1) and the effect of nisin application in a dose‒response manner on the growth performance of broiler chickens (exp 2). A total of 900 one-day-old female Ross 308 chicks (400, exp 1; 500, exp 2) were randomly distributed to four groups (exp 1; 10 replicate pens per treatment with 10 birds each), i.e., NA, no additives; MON, monensin (100 ppm); NIS, nisin (2700 IU/kg diet); and MON + NIS, a mixture of monensin (100 ppm) and nisin (2700 IU/kg diet); or 5 treatments (exp 2), NA, no additives; NIS₁₀₀, nisin (100 IU/kg diet); NIS₂₀₀, nisin (200 IU/kg diet); NIS₄₀₀, nisin (400 IU/kg diet); and NIS₈₀₀, nisin (800 IU/kg diet). Nisin supplementation positively affected the microbiota of the gut by reducing potentially pathogenic bacterial populations in the jejunum and ceca. The bacterial fermentation in the jejunum was significantly lowered by nisin addition. The addition of nisin from 100 IU to 800 IU decreased the FCR value over the entire experimental period. According to the results, nisin can be considered a natural dietary supplement for broiler chickens.

The goal of the present study was to investigate the olfactory attractiveness of air-dried insects used as aromas to dogs. The trial consisted of 35 adult dogs (20 males; 15 females) aged between 12 months and 7 years (mean = 3.6), varied in terms of breed, kept as companion animals. The dogs had free olfactory access to selected unprocessed dried insects, i.e., mealworm (Tenebrio molitor), Turkestan cockroach (Shelfordella lateralis), black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens), and tropical house cricket (Gryllodes sigillatus), as well as commercial dried and pelleted dog feed, which was used as a control treatment. Samples (100 g) were located separately in not transparent closed boxes with 5 perforations in the cover (7 mm each) to improve the intensity of the aromas without direct contact with the tested samples. The box was recorded as chosen when the dog showed interest in it for more than 15 seconds continuously per each attempt (3 attempts per dog). The presented study shows that the selected insect species were chosen as frequently as the control group (P = 0.03). However, in terms of preferences by dog gender, Tenebrio molitor was favored more often by males than by females, which preferred Shelfordella lateralis. The current preliminary data suggest that the olfactory features of the selected insect species may be attractive to dogs.

This study aimed to evaluate the dose-dependent effect of black soldier fly (BFL) larvae fat inclusion in broiler chicken diets on breast meat quality. Four hundred 1-day-old male birds (Ross 308) were assigned to the following four treatments (10 replicates with 10 birds each): HI0, a basal diet without dietary fat inclusion, and HI03, HI06, and HI09, basal diets enriched with 30 g/kg, 60 g/kg, and 90 g/kg of BSF larvae fat, respectively. Principal component analysis showed noticeable differentiation between the selected plant, animal, and insect-origin dietary fats. The BSF fat exhibits a strong relationship with saturated fatty acids (SFAs), resulting in a high concentration of C12:0 and C14:0. The fatty acid (FA) profile in breast muscle obtained from broilers fed diets with increasing insect fat inclusion showed a significant linear effect in terms of C12:0, C15:0, C18:2, C18:3n6, and total FAs. The proportion of dietary insect fat had a quadratic effect on meat color. The water-holding capacity indices have stayed consistent with the meat color changes. Throughout the experiment, favorable growth performance results were noticed in HI06. The present study confirmed that BSF larvae fat negatively affects the n3 level in meat. However, the physicochemical indices related to consumer acceptance were not altered to negatively limit their final decision, even when a relatively high inclusion of insect fat was used.