Growth Performance, Diet Digestibility, and Chemical Composition of Mealworm (<i>Tenebrio molitor</i> L.) Fed Agricultural By-Products
Humanity’s growing demand for animal protein exceeds the capacity of traditional protein sources to support growing livestock production. Insects offer promising partial substitutes, converting low-nutritional quality materials into high-value biomass. Hence, the bioconversion ability of <i>Te...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-10-01
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| Series: | Insects |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/14/10/824 |
| _version_ | 1797573563423653888 |
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| author | Ana Montalbán Silvia Martínez-Miró Achille Schiavone Josefa Madrid Fuensanta Hernández |
| author_facet | Ana Montalbán Silvia Martínez-Miró Achille Schiavone Josefa Madrid Fuensanta Hernández |
| author_sort | Ana Montalbán |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Humanity’s growing demand for animal protein exceeds the capacity of traditional protein sources to support growing livestock production. Insects offer promising partial substitutes, converting low-nutritional quality materials into high-value biomass. Hence, the bioconversion ability of <i>Tenebrio molitor</i> larvae was assessed by using three types of agricultural by-products (broccoli by-product, tigernut pulp, and grape pomace) at different inclusion levels (0%, 25%, 50%, and 100%) in a carbohydrate-based diet. Ten diets were formulated to assess their impact on the growth, diet digestibility, and nutritional composition of the larvae. For each treatment, eight replicates were employed: five for the growth-performance-digestibility trial and three for the complementary test of uric acid determination. The growth was influenced by the type of diet administered. The broccoli by-product resulted in higher larvae weight and a better feed conversion ratio. However, diets based solely on a single by-product (100%) compromised the productivity and diet digestibility. The larvae changed their nutritional composition depending on the rearing substrate, although the amino acid profile remained consistent. In conclusion, the studied by-products have the potential for use in <i>T. molitor</i> rearing as part of the diet but not as the exclusive ingredients, indicating promising opportunities for using agricultural by-products in <i>T. molitor</i> rearing and production. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T21:10:50Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-74e5904c126043658220a8dd9736fa08 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2075-4450 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T21:10:50Z |
| publishDate | 2023-10-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Insects |
| spelling | doaj.art-74e5904c126043658220a8dd9736fa082023-11-19T16:50:03ZengMDPI AGInsects2075-44502023-10-01141082410.3390/insects14100824Growth Performance, Diet Digestibility, and Chemical Composition of Mealworm (<i>Tenebrio molitor</i> L.) Fed Agricultural By-ProductsAna Montalbán0Silvia Martínez-Miró1Achille Schiavone2Josefa Madrid3Fuensanta Hernández4Department of Animal Production, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Regional Campus of International Excellence “Mare Nostrum”, University of Murcia, Espinardo, 30100 Murcia, SpainDepartment of Animal Production, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Regional Campus of International Excellence “Mare Nostrum”, University of Murcia, Espinardo, 30100 Murcia, SpainDepartment of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, 10095 Grugliasco, ItalyDepartment of Animal Production, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Regional Campus of International Excellence “Mare Nostrum”, University of Murcia, Espinardo, 30100 Murcia, SpainDepartment of Animal Production, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Regional Campus of International Excellence “Mare Nostrum”, University of Murcia, Espinardo, 30100 Murcia, SpainHumanity’s growing demand for animal protein exceeds the capacity of traditional protein sources to support growing livestock production. Insects offer promising partial substitutes, converting low-nutritional quality materials into high-value biomass. Hence, the bioconversion ability of <i>Tenebrio molitor</i> larvae was assessed by using three types of agricultural by-products (broccoli by-product, tigernut pulp, and grape pomace) at different inclusion levels (0%, 25%, 50%, and 100%) in a carbohydrate-based diet. Ten diets were formulated to assess their impact on the growth, diet digestibility, and nutritional composition of the larvae. For each treatment, eight replicates were employed: five for the growth-performance-digestibility trial and three for the complementary test of uric acid determination. The growth was influenced by the type of diet administered. The broccoli by-product resulted in higher larvae weight and a better feed conversion ratio. However, diets based solely on a single by-product (100%) compromised the productivity and diet digestibility. The larvae changed their nutritional composition depending on the rearing substrate, although the amino acid profile remained consistent. In conclusion, the studied by-products have the potential for use in <i>T. molitor</i> rearing as part of the diet but not as the exclusive ingredients, indicating promising opportunities for using agricultural by-products in <i>T. molitor</i> rearing and production.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/14/10/824insect larvaeinsectprotein sourcebioconversiongrape pomacetigernut pulp |
| spellingShingle | Ana Montalbán Silvia Martínez-Miró Achille Schiavone Josefa Madrid Fuensanta Hernández Growth Performance, Diet Digestibility, and Chemical Composition of Mealworm (<i>Tenebrio molitor</i> L.) Fed Agricultural By-Products Insects insect larvae insect protein source bioconversion grape pomace tigernut pulp |
| title | Growth Performance, Diet Digestibility, and Chemical Composition of Mealworm (<i>Tenebrio molitor</i> L.) Fed Agricultural By-Products |
| title_full | Growth Performance, Diet Digestibility, and Chemical Composition of Mealworm (<i>Tenebrio molitor</i> L.) Fed Agricultural By-Products |
| title_fullStr | Growth Performance, Diet Digestibility, and Chemical Composition of Mealworm (<i>Tenebrio molitor</i> L.) Fed Agricultural By-Products |
| title_full_unstemmed | Growth Performance, Diet Digestibility, and Chemical Composition of Mealworm (<i>Tenebrio molitor</i> L.) Fed Agricultural By-Products |
| title_short | Growth Performance, Diet Digestibility, and Chemical Composition of Mealworm (<i>Tenebrio molitor</i> L.) Fed Agricultural By-Products |
| title_sort | growth performance diet digestibility and chemical composition of mealworm i tenebrio molitor i l fed agricultural by products |
| topic | insect larvae insect protein source bioconversion grape pomace tigernut pulp |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/14/10/824 |
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