Study shows insect meal improves feed efficiency, weight gain, and gut health of European seabass

Ÿnsect has announced that its protein ŸnMeal™ has demonstrated outstanding performance in recent trials with European sea bass. Diets containing the insect meal improved feed efficiency and weight gain when compared to the control group, and also reduced the appearance of abnormal intestinal villi in the gut, thereby improving gut health.

Study shows Meal improves feed efficiency, weight gain, and gut health of European seabass

December 21, 2018

In collaboration with the well-known HCMR research institute in Greece, Ÿnsect launched trials on the European sea bass, a carnivorous fish known to be highly dependent on the inclusion of fishmeal in its diet. Juveniles of 4g were fed for 9 weeks with three different treatment diets: a control group with 30% fish meal inclusion, TM 30 (30% fish meal replacement) and TM100 (100% fish meal replacement).

After 9 weeks of feeding, 8 fish from each tank were anaesthetised and blood samples were collected by a caudal puncture. The results were very promising. Both the TM30 and TM100 diets improved feed efficiency and weight gain when compared to the control group. The best results were obtained at TM30, with a weight gain of +13.7% higher than the control (29.2g vs 25.7g) and the FCR was significantly lower (-7%). After 9 weeks, the lowest Feed Conversion Rate (FCR) was 0.77 for TM100 and 0.87 for CRTL, a reduction of 11.5%. The Total Feed Intake was similar between all the treatment groups.

TM30 and TM100 reduced the appearance of abnormal intestinal villi in the gut from 5 in the control group to 2 (n=15). Gut health is improved. This is a breakthrough, and has never been previously assessed in research based on Tenebrio Molitor meal.

During the challenge test, TM30 showed a reduction of cumulative mortality by 45% (TM30: 18.3% vs 33.3% in the control). The symptom scores also showed a similar pattern.

In conclusion, ŸnMeal boosted the anabolism (biosynthesis) of the fish. This was already proven in the trout trial in 2015 (+34% of weight gain and -15% of FCR). In previous trials, ŸnMeal was shown to increase the resistance of shrimp and salmon in stressful conditions.

This development takes Ÿnsect to a new level and the company is confident this protein meal will be implemented in preventive medicated feeds. This would also help to reduce the financial impact of diseases in aquaculture; bearing in mind that, on some fish or shrimp farms, the mortality rate can easily reach 40% due to a common bacterial infection.