Effect of replacement of fishmeal-based diet by full-fat or defatted black soldier fly larvae (Hermetia illucens) meal in diets on performance of Asian seabass (Lates calcarifer) juvenile in fresh and brackish water

Pham Thi Phuong Lan, Le Duc Ngoan¹ and Nguyen Duy Quynh Tram

Faculty of Fisheries, Hue University of Agriculture and Forestry, Hue University, Vietnam
ndqtram@hueuni.edu.vn
¹ Faculty of Animal Science, Hue University of Agriculture and Forestry, Hue University, Vietnam

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the growth performance of seabass juvenile ( Lates calcarifer) fed full-fat or defatted black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) meal replacing fishmeal-based diets. A total of 480 seabass juvenile of 14.5 g were randomly allocated into 2 x 3 factorial design treatments (water sources: fresh and brackish water; and feed types: fishmeal, FM, full-fat, FF and defatted BSFL meal, DF). Fish were kept in a 160 L aquarium, with density of 125 fish/m³. The results showed that, with exception of the survival rates, final weight, SGR_w and yield were effected by water sources, feed types and their interaction (p<0.05), and final length, SGR_L and FCR were affected by feed type (p<0.05) but not water sources (p>0.05). In conclusion, replacing 30% fishmeal-based diet by full-fat BSFL meal improved growth performance of seabass juvenile.

Keywords: feed type, larval meal, seabass juvenile, water source

Introduction

Barramundi or Asian seabass (Lates calcarrifer Bloch, 1790) is one of the important commercial fish species widely cultured in many Asian countries and Vietnam. Barramundi has a fast growth rate, good adaptability to cage and pond culture in fresh, brackish and salt water areas (Singh 2000; Katya et al 2017). Seabass is mainly fed by trash fish or floating pellets with high fish meal (Olsen and Hasan 2012). However, the availability of wild-caught fish is declining, and the use of fishmeal protein has been warned to be unsustainable (Tacon et al 2012). Therefore, Cammack and Tomberlin (2017) remarked that it was necessary to study other protein sources to replace fish meal. Black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) are considered as a good quality and sustainable protein feed in aquaculture (Kroeckel et al 2012; Lock et al 2015; Shakil et al 2015; Sánchez-Muros et al 2016; Cummins et al 2017). Kroeckel et al (2012) reported that defatted BSFL could replace fishmeal upto 33% without affecting growth rate of turbot juvenile (Psetta maxima). Lock et al (2015) showed that replacing fishmeal with full-fat and defatted BSFL meal in salmon’s diets resulted in higher growth performance on full-fat than on defatted BSFL diet. In Vietnam, Hoa and Dung (2015) have shown the growth rate of snakehead fish (Chana micropeltes) fed directly BSFL or 30% of BSFL meal-based diet could improved. A study by Pham Thi Phuong Lan et al (2022) indicated that, the survival rate of Asian seabass cultured in fresh water was higher than in brackish water and productivity was not affected by the water source (fresh and brackish) but it was higher in fish fed trash fish than in the one fed BSFL. The authors concluded that, replacement of total trash fish by fresh BSFL declined the productivity of seabass in both fresh and brackish water environments. Therefore, this study could show the effect of replacing fishmeal-based diet with full-fat or defatted BSFL meal on growth performance of seabass juvenile reared in fresh or brackish water.

Materials and methods

Larval meal and diet preparation

Larval meal preparation: BSFL were fed by tofu by-products and collected at day 7th after rearing. Larval meal preparation was followed Kroeckel et al (2012). Larvae were washed with water several times to remove all impurities and were divided into two parts: one for full-fat meal and another for defatted meal. In the first part, BSFL was dried at 60°C for 48 hrs and milled into full-fat BSFL meal. In the second part, BSFL was frozen at - 24°C for 24 hrs, then ground in a food processor and dipped in warm water 60°C for 5 minutes to remove visceral fat. The ground larvae were then mechanically pressed to take out partly fat and then were dried at 60°C for 24 hrs to pulverize the defatted BSFL meal.

Diet preparation: All ingredients were carefully mixed according to their ratio in the diet. Then the mixtures were extruded through a 3 mm diameter die plate using an extruder (Sheng Kiang, China). Feed was chopped into pellets approximately 3 mm long, dried at 45°C for 24 hrs and stored in plastic bags at room temperature prior to use. The proportions of ingredients and the nutritive value of the diets are presented in Tables 1 and 2.

Experimental design

Seabass juveniles of 14.5 g live weight were purchased from Quoc Thang Company, Thua Thien Hue province, Viet Nam. In order to behave to fresh water, fish were kept in 10‰ salanity water in 0.5 m³ composite tanks for one week for adaptation to fresh water by lowering salinity by 3‰ per day until 0‰.

The experiment was arranged with 2 factorial design (2 x 3) and 4 replicates. Two factors were the water sources (W, brackish and fresh water) and the feed types (fishmeal, FM, full-fat, FF and defatted BSFL meals, DF). Fish were fed by one of three diets in which 30% of fishmeal-based diet replaced by full-fat BSFL or defatted BSFL and were randomly arranged into 24 aquariums with a capacity of 160 L water and stocking density of 125 fish/m³.

Photo 1. Diets preparation	Photo 2. Experimental system

Measurements

Environmental factors

Water temperature (°C) was measured by thermometer, pH by HI98107/Hanna handheld meter; NH₃ by HI 700/Hanna; dissolved oxygen (DO) by DO test kit of Sera (Germany); and salinity was measured by refractometer (Atago Model 2491-master's, Japan). All water quality factors were measured periodically every 2 days and measured twice per day (7:00 and 14:00 hrs).

Growth performance

Every 7 days of experimental implementation, the weight and length of 10 fish/tank were measured to calculate the following parameters:

Specific growth rate in weight (SGR_w, % day ^-1) = [Ln(final weight) - Ln(initial weight)/ duration in days] x 100

Specific growth rate in length (SGR_l, % day ^-1) = [Ln(final length) - Ln(initial length)/ duration in days] x 100

Feed conversion ratio (FCR) = total feed intake (kg)/total weight gain (kg)

Survival rate (SR, %) = (number of fish harvested/number of fish stocked) × 100

Yield (kg/m³) = Weight of fish harvested in 1 m³ of water.

Chemical analysis

All feed samples were chemically analyzed for dry matter (DM), crude lipid, crude fibre (CF), and ash according to the procedures of AOAC (1990). Samples were analyzed at the Lab of Biotechnology of the National Institute of Animal Sciences, Ha Noi.

The gross energy is calculated according to Ewan (1989):

GE (Kcal/kg) = 4143 + 56 x crude lipid + 15 x crude protein - 44 x ash

Data analysis

Data were presented in the form of the mean (M) and standard error of the mean (SEM). The data were statistically processed by analysis of variance (ANOVA) by General Linear Model in Minitab v.16.2 (2010). The difference between the mean values was determined by the Tukey method at a confidence level of 95%.

Results and discussion

Environmental parameters

The physico-chemical parameters such as temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH and NH₃ are shown in Table 3. Temperature and DO values are not affected by feed type and water source, while pH and NH₃ values are affected by water source (p<0.05). The water temperature ranges from 25.43 - 26.33 ^oC, DO 4.08 - 4.28 mg/L, pH 7.29 - 7.80, and NH ₃ in fresh water ranges 0.06 - 0.08 mg/L and in brackish water 0.08 - 0.13 mg/L.

Growth performance

Data in Table 4 show that with exception of the survival rates, the final weight, SGRw and yield are effected by water sources, feed types and their interaction (p<0.05), and final length, SGR_L and FCR are affected by feed type (p<0.05) but not water sources or their interaction (p>0.05).

The survival rates of fish are 100% in all treatments. The final weight and SGRw are higher in brackish water than in fresh water (p<0.05), and these values are highest in FF and lowest in DF (p<0.05). Value of the final weight ranges 21.86 - 23.37 g in fresh water and 21.71 - 23.51 g in brackish water and 23.37 - 23.51 g in diet of full-fat BSFL meal and 21.71 - 21.86 g in defatted BSFL meal diet.

The final length, SGR_L and FCR are not different in fresh and brackish water (P>0.05) but are highest in FF and lowest in DF (p<0.05). The final length ranges 12.46 - 13.01 cm and SGR_L ranges 0.52 - 0.68 %/day.

The yield of seabass juvenile is higher in brackish water than in fresh water (p<0.05) and are highest in FF and lowest in DF (p<0.05). Values of the yield in brackish water are 2.71 - 2.94 kg/m³ and 2.73 - 2.92 kg/m³ in fresh water. The yield of fish fed full-fat BSFL meal ranges 2.92 - 2.94 kg/m³ and fed defatted BSFL meal 2.71 - 2.73 kg/m³.

The results of this study show that, replacing 30% fishmeal diet by full-fat BSFL meal gets better SGR_w than that in defatted BSFL meal. López (2015) and Magalhães (2017) reported that SGR_w increased by 1.46 - 1.57% when 20% fishmeal replaced by BSFL meal in European seabass diets. The value of SGR_w in recent study is similar to the results of Kroeckel et al (2012) and Caimi et al (2020), who studied in Psetta maxima and Acipenser baerii sturgeon. However, Dumas et al (2018) and Katya et al (2017) concluded that replacing 30% fishmeal by BSFL meal reduced the growth rates of seabass (Lates calcarifer) in fresh water and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Mohamad-Zulkifli et al (2019) reported that replacing 30% fishmeal by BSFL meal reduced SGR_w in hybrid grouper. Khanh and Lan (2019) and Belghit et al (2019) reported that the values of SGR_w of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) fed BSFL meal-based diet were 0.8% and 1.08% in red tilapia (Oreochromis sp.). The FCR of this study was higher (1.83 - 1.90 compared with 0.98 - 1.65) in hybrid grouper, European sea bass, and sea bream (Sparus aurata) by (Mohamad-Zulkifli et al 2019; Magalhães et al 2017; Karapanagiotidis et al 2014). Breeding seabass in fresh water has a lower FCR (1.78 - 1.92 compared with 2.0 - 2.4) of author Katya et al (2017).

The survival rates in the recent study of 100% in all treatments are similar to the results of Magalhães et al (2017). Most studies have shown that, when adding a quantity of BSFL meal (≤30%) to the diet, it does not affect growth, meat quality, but reduces costs production (Katya et al 2017; Xiaopeng Xiao et al 2018; Bruni et al 2019). Thong and Lan (2019) reported that, 75% of fishmeal could be replaced by cricket meal (Gryllus bicaculatus) in the diet of pointed barramundi (Psammoperca waigiensis) without affecting growth and survival rate.

Conclusion

• This study showed that, replacing 30% of the fishmeal-based diet with full-fat or defatted BSFL meal did not affect the survival rate of seabass juvenile in both freshwater and brackish water.
• The final weight, SGR_w, SGR_L and yield of fish fed full-fat BSFL meal were highest.
• Replacing 30% fishmeal-based diet by full-fat BSFL meal improved seabass juvenile growth performance.

Acknowledgement

The authors acknowledge the financial support of the Strong Research Group Program of Hue University (06/HĐ-ĐHH) and Scientific Research Program of Hue University (DHH2021-02-149).

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