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. 2024 Jul 20;13(14):2292.
doi: 10.3390/foods13142292.

Effects of Substituting Tenebrio molitor and Elodea nuttallii as Feed on Growth, Flesh Quality and Intestinal Microbiota of Red Swamp Crayfish (Procambarus clarkii)

Muyan Li  1   2 , Weiwei Lv  2   3 , Yifan Zhao  1   2 , Weiwei Huang  2   3 , Quan Yuan  2   3 , Hang Yang  2   3 , Aimin Wang  4 , Wenzong Zhou  2   3 , Mingyou Li  1
Affiliations

Effects of Substituting Tenebrio molitor and Elodea nuttallii as Feed on Growth, Flesh Quality and Intestinal Microbiota of Red Swamp Crayfish (Procambarus clarkii)

Muyan Li et al. Foods. .

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of substituting a portion of feed with Tenebrio molitor (TM) and Elodea nuttallii (EN) on crayfish culture. A total of 270 crayfish (5.1 ± 0.4 g) were fed three different diet combinations (A: 100% feed; B: 80% feed + 10% TM + 10% EN; C: 75% feed + 15% TM + 10% EN) for 12 weeks. The findings demonstrated that group C had an important beneficial impact on the growth performance of crayfish. This was evidenced by a rise in digestive enzyme activity (trypsin, lipase, and cellulase) in the intestinal and hepatopancreas, as well as an upregulation in the expression of growth-related genes (ghsr, igfbp7, mhc, mlc1, mef2, and pax7) in the muscle. Furthermore, the assessment of the flesh quality of crayfish muscle in group C was conducted. The findings indicated a significant increase (p < 0.05) in the energy value (moisture, crude protein, and crude lipid) within the muscle. The levels of delicious amino acids (Glu, Ala, Ser, Gly, and Tyr) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (ARA, DHA) were enhanced, resulting in an improved nutritional profile and flavor of the muscle while maintaining the Σn-3/Σn-6 ratio. The remodeling of the intestinal microbiota (abundance of Proteobacteria and ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroidota bacteria) also revealed improved growth performance. Additional research is necessary to ascertain whether excessive use of TM or EN feed substitution can have negative effects on crayfish culture.

Keywords: Procambarus clarkii; feed substitution; growth; intestinal microbiota; nutrition.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Effects of three different diet combinations on intestinal digestive enzyme activity levels of P. clarkii after 12 weeks (n = 9). Different lowercase letters indicate significant differences among the groups (p < 0.05). (A–D) Amylase, trypsin, lipase, and cellulase activity levels in the intestinal.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Effects of three different diet combinations on hepatopancreas digestive enzyme activity levels of P. clarkii after 12 weeks (n = 9). Different lowercase letters indicate significant differences among the groups (p < 0.05). (A–D) Amylase, trypsin, lipase, and cellulase activity levels in the hepatopancreas.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Effects of three different diet combinations on muscle mRNA expression levels of P. clarkii after 12 weeks (n = 9). Different lowercase letters indicate significant differences among the groups (p < 0.05). (A–F) ghsr, igfbp7, mhc, mlc1, mef2, and pax7 mRNA expression levels in the muscle.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Effects of three different diet combinations on the composition of the intestinal microbiota in P. clarkii after 12 weeks (n = 6). (A) Principal coordinates analysis (PCoA) results. (B) Average relative abundances at the phylum level. (C) Average relative abundances at the genus level.
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