Insect meal is a potentially sustainable novel protein source to replace conventional feedstuffs such as fishmeal and soybean meal that are facing sustainability issues in the face of a rapidly expanding aquaculture industry. The black soldier fly ( BSF: Hermetia illucens) has shown promising properties among insect species . T his study investigated the effects of BSF meal on growth , feed utilization, and intestinal health of Nile tilapia ( Oreochromis niloticus) juveniles.
A 5-week feeding trial was conducted with Nile tilapia juveniles (initial body weight : 7.28 ± 0.09 g) in tanks (13 L each ) in a R ecirculatory A quaculture System (RAS). Three isonitrogenous and isolipidic diets were prepared based on the known nutritional requirement of t ilapia to contain 0 % (Control: BSF0), 20 % (BSF20), and 40 % (BSF40) defatted BSF meal . The fish were divided into 3 groups of 16 fish in triplicate tank s and were fed with the diets at 5 % biomass . After the trial, growth performance (weight gain, SGR) and feed utilization (FCR, PER) were improved significantly by BSF meal compared with the control diet. Intestinal mucosal fold length (MFL ), muscularis thickness (MT) and goblet cell count (GCC) were significantly increased by BSF meal compared with the control diet. Intest inal g oblet cell coverage area (GCCA) was increased in the BSF20 fed fish while microvilli length (MVL) and intr aepithelial lymphocytes (IELs) levels were elevated in BSF40 fed fish, compared with the control fed fish . Therefore, these results suggests that BSF meal could successfully be used as an alternative protein source in the diets of Nile tilapia juveniles to promote growth and intestinal health .