In order to overcome the problem of sustainability in aquaculture, new protein sources are being sought to replace classical protein sources in the feeding of farmed fish.
The aim of this study was to investigate the replacement of fishmeal with insect meal in fish feed by assessing the sensory profile of fillets and consumer perception of the use of this new protein source.
The method used to compare the products under investigation was quantitative descriptive analysis (QDA). For this purpose, a test was carried out with different levels of inclusion of larvae meal of both Hermetia illucens in sea bream, (CTRL, 5%, 10% and 15%) and Tenebrio monitor (CRL, 30%, 60%, 100%) in sea bass, instead of fish meal.
The fillets were gutted and cooked according to a standardised procedure. They were then examined by panelists, who identified discriminating sensory descriptors. Each sensory descriptor was linked to two references describing minimum and maximum intensity in order to optimiz e the repeatability and reproducibility of the sensory responses. In the sea bass trial we also set out to investigate the perceptions that this insect proteins might arouse in the consumer. For this trial we had the product tasted blind and immediately afterwards the same product accompanied by information, asking to score liking and perception according to a set of terms defined in the literature.
The results showed that the inclusion of up to 15 % Hermetia Illucens in place of fishmeal found no significant difference between the sensory profiles of the four products under investigation. This result was corroborated by the second study on Tenebrio molitor, where no significant difference was found between the sensory profiles but showed that Western consumers still have a strong neophobia towards this protein.
It’s evident that substantial effort will be required to refine the information presented to consumers to encourage acceptance of this protein. It’s worth noting that the protein boasts an excellent nutritional profile.