Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Dec 27;14(1):96.
doi: 10.3390/ani14010096.

Evaluation of In Vitro Protein Hydrolysis in Seven Insects Approved by the EU for Use as a Protein Alternative in Aquaculture

María Rodríguez-Rodríguez  1 , María José Sánchez-Muros  2 , María Del Carmen Vargas-García  2 , Agnes Timea Varga  2 , Dmitri Fabrikov  2 , Fernando G Barroso  1
Affiliations

Evaluation of In Vitro Protein Hydrolysis in Seven Insects Approved by the EU for Use as a Protein Alternative in Aquaculture

María Rodríguez-Rodríguez et al. Animals (Basel). .

Abstract

Rapid population growth is leading to an increase in the demand for high-quality protein such as fish, which has led to a large increase in aquaculture. However, fish feed is dependent on fishmeal. It is necessary to explore more sustainable protein alternatives that can meet the needs of fish. Insects, due to their high protein content and good amino acid profiles, could be a successful alternative to fishmeal and soybean meal traditionally used in sectors such as aquaculture. In this work, seven species of insects (Hermetia illucens, Tenebrio molitor, Acheta domestica, Alphitobius diaperinus, Gryllodes sigillatus, Gryllus assimilis, and Musca domestica) approved by the European Union (UE) for use as feed for farmed animals (aquaculture, poultry, and pigs) were studied. Their proximate composition, hydrolysis of organic matter (OMd), hydrolysis of crude protein (CPd), degree of hydrolysis (DH/NH2 and DH/100 g DM), and total hydrolysis (TH) were analyzed. The results showed that Tenebrio molitor had digestibility similar to that of fishmeal, while Acheta domestica and Hermetia illucens provided similar digestibility to that of soybean meal. The acid detergent fiber (ADF) data were negatively correlated with all protein digestibility variables. The differences in the degree of hydrolysis (DH) results and the similarity in total hydrolysis (TH) results could indicate the slowing effects of ADF on protein digestibility. Further in vivo studies are needed.

Keywords: Hermetia illucens; Tenebrio molitor; digestibility; hydrolysis degree; insect meal.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Digestibility of organic matter (%) from insects, fishmeal, and soybean meal. Significant differences are represented by different letters (p < 0.05). FM: fishmeal; SBM: soybean meal; HI: H. illucens; TM: T. molitor; GA: G. assimilis; GS: G. sigillatus; AchD: A. domestica; AlpD: A. diaperinus; MD: M. domestica.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Crude protein digestibility (%) in the dry matter of insects, fishmeal, and soybean meal. Significant differences are represented by different letters (p < 0.05). FM: fishmeal; SBM: soybean meal; HI: H. illucens; TM: T. molitor; GA: G. assimilis; GS: G. sigillatus; AchD: A. domestica; AlpD: A. diaperinus; MD: M. domestica.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Degree of hydrolysis (DH/NH2) and total hydrolysis (TH/NH2) of insects, fishmeal, and soybean meal at the beginning and end times of protein hydrolysis, and relative standard deviation (±SD). Significant differences are represented by different letters (p < 0.05). FM: fishmeal; SBM: soybean meal; HI: H. illucens; TM: T. molitor; GA: G. assimilis; GS: G. sigillatus; AchD: A. domestica; AlpD: A. diaperinus; MD: M. domestica.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Amino groups (100 g DM) of insects, fishmeal, and soybean meal every 30 min during the gastric and intestinal phases of protein hydrolysis, and relative standard deviation (±SD).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/893 of 24 May 2017 Amending Annexes I and IV to Regulation (EC) No 999/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council and Annexes X, XIV and XV to Commission Regulation (EU) No 142/2011 as Regards the Provisions on Processed Animal Protein. [(accessed on 22 July 2022)]. Available online: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32017R0893.
    1. Commission Regulation (EU) 2021/1925 of 5 November 2021 Amending Certain Annexes to Regulation (EU) No 142/2011 as Regards the Requirements for Placing on the Market of Certain Insect Products and the Adaptation of a Containment Method. [(accessed on 22 July 2022)]. Available online: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32021R1925.
    1. Dumas A., Raggi T., Barkhouse J., Lewis E., Weltzien E. The oil fraction and partially defatted meal of black soldier fly larvae (Hermetia illucens) affect differently growth performance, feed efficiency, nutrient deposition, blood glucose and lipid digestibility of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) Aquaculture. 2018;492:24–34. doi: 10.1016/j.aquaculture.2018.03.038. - DOI
    1. Fabrikov D., Sánchez-Muros M.J., Barroso F.G., Tomás-Almenar C., Melenchón F., Hidalgo M.C., Morales A.E., Rodriguez-Rodriguez M., Montes-Lopez J. Comparative study of growth performance and amino acid catabolism in Oncorhynchus mykiss, Tinca tinca and Sparus aurata and the catabolic changes in response to insect meal inclusion in the diet. Aquaculture. 2020;529:735731. doi: 10.1016/j.aquaculture.2020.735731. - DOI
    1. Kozłowski K., Ognik K., Stępniowska A., Juśkiewicz J., Zduńczyk Z., Kierończyk B., Benzertiha A., Józefiak D., Jankowski J. Growth performance, immune status and intestinal fermentative processes of young turkeys fed diet with additive of full fat meals from Tenebrio molitor and Hermetia illucens. Anim. Feed Sci. Technol. 2021;278:114994. doi: 10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2021.114994. - DOI