Abstract:
A 25-week experiment was undertaken to explore the effect of partial replacement of dietary fishmeal (FM) with black soldier fly
meal (Hermetia illucens) (BS), mealworm meal (Tenebrio molitor) (MW), and a 1 : 1 mixture of both insect meals (BSMW) on fillet
quality in African catfish (Clarias gariepinus). A total of 96 fish with an average initial body weight of 248 28 g were stocked into a
recirculating aquaculture system and fed in four different dietary groups (control, BS, MW, and BSMW). No mortality was
recorded in any of the groups. At the end of the feeding period, 24 fish (n = 6 for each treatment, weight between 690 and
822 g) were used for analysis. There was no alteration in filleting yield or other slaughter indices within experimental groups, except
the hepatosomatic index. Among quality attributes, pH 24 hr postmortem exhibited a significant difference (p<0:05). In respect of
the fatty acid profile, the n-6/n-3 ratio ranged between 1.17 and 1.40 but was not significantly modified by the partial replacement
of FM. Similarly, the proximate composition of the fillets was not significantly different between the control and experimental diet
groups. The ratio of polyunsaturated fatty acid to saturated fatty acids ranged between 0.67 and 0.79 in the fillets, without
significant differences between groups. The atherogenic index was increased in the BS group, as compared to the others; however,
the thrombogenicity index of fillets was not significantly affected. Similarly, the conventional quality traits of the fillet, such as
cooking, drip, and thawing losses, did not differ within treatments. This study demonstrates that the dietary inclusion of black
soldier fly and/or mealworm meals used for African catfish at the tested inclusion level has negligible impact on fillet properties
