Assessing Yellow Mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) Larvae Meal as a Partial Replacement of Fishmeal in Fish Feeds: Growth, Antioxidant, Immune, and Histological Responses of Nile Tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus

Abstract

The goal of this study was to replace the costly fishmeal (FM) with Tenebrio molitor larvae meal (TMLM) in diets for Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) juveniles. Six isonitrogenous diets were created in order to examine the viability of substituting FM protein with stepwise inclusion levels of TMLM protein, i.e., 0%, 15%, 30%, 45%, 60%, and 75% represented by TMLM0, TMLM15, TMLM30, TMLM45, TMLM60, and TMLM75, respectively. For 90 days, Nile tilapia juvenile (8.8–10.5 g) were fed on TMLM diets three times a day until apparent satiation. Nile tilapia fed on TMLM levels were found to significantly (p < 0.05) boosted their growth and feed efficiency indices by up to 45%, after which their performance declined. In comparison to other treatments, larger villi length/width and increased digestive enzymes activity were observed at this level (TMLM45). At TMLM45, there were no signs of inflammation in the liver tissues but feeding the fish on TMLM60 and TMLM75 showed more vacuolated hepatocytes and fewer hepatic sinusoids. Total protein, albumin, and globulin contents showed significant (p < 0.05) increases in response to TMLM levels in fish feeds; meanwhile no significant (p > 0.05) changes in blood glucose were observed compared to the control one (TMLM0). The values of alanine and aspartate aminotransferase, total cholesterol, and triglycerides decreased significantly (p < 0.05) as TMLM levels increased in fish feeds. In addition, significant (p < 0.05) increases in antioxidant and immunological variables were observed in fish fed with TMLM diets, in particular TMLM45. The current study concluded that the substitution of FM protein by 45% TMLM protein in diets administered to Nile tilapia juveniles significantly improved (p < 0.05) their growth, antioxidant, and immune response compared to the control diet (FM-based diet).