Farinha desengordurada e óleo de larvas da mosca soldado-negra (Hermetia illucens) como potenciais ingredientes em dietas para tambaqui

Abstract

As the demand for sustainable ingredients increases, so does the need to reduce reliance on conventional components used in aquafeeds. This thesis aimed to evaluate the potential of defatted defatted larval meal and larval oil derived from black soldier fly (BSF, Hermetia illucens) in diets for juvenile tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum). Chapter I provides a literature review on the use of insects as aquafeed ingredients, with emphasis on black soldier fly larvae, highlighting their nutritional potential and the application of larval co-products. Chapter II evaluates different levels of soybean oil replacement with black soldier fly larval oil (BSFLO) in diets for juvenile tambaqui. The inclusion of BSFLO did not affect growth performance or somatic indices among the experimental groups and maintained hematological and biochemical parameters within normal ranges for the species. Fish fed BSFLO-based diets showed reduced levels of n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), while maintaining n-3 PUFA levels, resulting in an increased n-3/n-6 ratio. Chapter III assessed the combined inclusion of defatted larval meal (30%) and larval oil (3.8%) from BSF larvae compared with two conventional diets: one fully plant-based (VEG) and another including animal-derived ingredients (MIX), for juvenile tambaqui. Fish fed the BSF-based diet showed similar growth performance to those fed the VEG and MIX diets, indicating no impairment in growth. However, increased energy retention, hepatosomatic index, and total cholesterol levels were observed, suggesting alterations in lipid metabolism. Furthermore, the muscle of fish fed the BSF diet showed higher concentrations of saturated fatty acids and reduced levels of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, reflecting the dietary composition. These findings indicate the need to optimize larval rearing substrates to enhance the nutraceutical quality of the fillets.