Dietary Tenebrio molitor larvae meal effects on cellular stress responses, antioxidant status  and intermediate metabolism of Oncorhynchus mykiss

AbstractIn the context of evaluating the impact of environmentally friendly and sustainably produced alternative protein sources in fish feed, the present study's aim was to examine the overall physiological stress response in one of the main fish species of European freshwater aquaculture,Oncorhynchus mykiss (rainbow trout), following the partial substitution of fish meal (FM) with aTenebrio molitor (TM) (yellow mealworm) full-fat meal. In total, 222 rainbow trout individuals (115.2  ± 14.2 g) were allocated randomly into six tanks, three per dietary treatment, and were fed a formulated diet containing 60% yellow mealworm (TM60) compared to a control diet without insect meal (TM0). Both diets contained equal amounts of crude protein, dry matter and, lipid content, while the FM in TM60 was 100 g kg−1 corresponding to the one seventh of the TM0. Heat shock response (HSR), MAPK signalling, cell death pathways (apoptosis and autophagy), antioxidant defence mechanisms, and intermediate metabolism were evaluated. In general, HSR and MAPK signalling were activated in response to the inclusion ofT. molitor. Moreover, triggering of apoptotic and autophagic processes and the onset of antioxidant defence mechanisms underlined the existence of physiological stress. Despite the apparent dietary-induced stress, rainbow trout in the present study exhibited no mortality and no significant effects regarding growth performance parameters. Specifically, TM60 dietary inclusion resu...
Source: Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition - Category: Zoology Authors: Tags: ORIGINAL ARTICLE Source Type: research