Fermented black soldier fly larvae as a sustainable replacement for marine fish in Asian swamp eel diets
Background and Aim: Fermented black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) have emerged as a sustainable and economically viable protein source in aquaculture. However, their potential as a replacement for marine fish in the diets of Asian swamp eels (Monopterus albus, ASEs) remains underexplored. This study ass...
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Veterinary World
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Veterinary World |
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| Online Access: | https://veterinaryworld.org/Vol.18/April-2025/25.pdf |
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| author | Yifan Xiang Shaoqi Gao Yanhui Luo Gaojian Tang Xiuwei Zou Kai Xie Wenjie Niu Xinyi Li Junan Xiang Ling Zhang Zhu Tan Xiaoyu Zeng Bo Wang |
| author_facet | Yifan Xiang Shaoqi Gao Yanhui Luo Gaojian Tang Xiuwei Zou Kai Xie Wenjie Niu Xinyi Li Junan Xiang Ling Zhang Zhu Tan Xiaoyu Zeng Bo Wang |
| author_sort | Yifan Xiang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background and Aim: Fermented black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) have emerged as a sustainable and economically viable protein source in aquaculture. However, their potential as a replacement for marine fish in the diets of Asian swamp eels (Monopterus albus, ASEs) remains underexplored. This study assessed the effects of partially substituting marine fish with fermented BSFL on ASE growth performance, intestinal development, and hepatic health.
Materials and Methods: A total of 480 ASEs were randomly assigned to four dietary groups: control (40% marine fish), BSFL34 (13.4% BSFL), BSFL61 (24.1% BSFL), and BSFL82 (32.8% BSFL), replacing marine fish on a dry matter basis. All diets were isonitrogenous and isoenergetic. Fish were reared in net cages for over 90 days, and parameters including survival rate, growth metrics, muscle and liver histology, intestinal morphology, gene expression (quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction), and inflammatory protein levels (Western blotting) were assessed.
Results: Survival rate was significantly higher in the BSFL61 group (p < 0.05). Growth performance was not impaired across BSFL-fed groups, although BSFL61 showed reduced body weight compared to BSFL82 (p < 0.05). Muscle fiber size, satellite cell number, and muscle triglyceride (TG) content remained unchanged. BSFL82 showed increased hepatic TG accumulation (p < 0.05) and reduced liver fibrosis, while BSFL61 exhibited a significantly lower hepatosomatic index and increased fibrosis. Intestinal villus height was reduced in BSFL34 and BSFL61, while goblet cell density increased in all BSFL groups. Notch1 expression was upregulated in BSFL61 and BSFL82, whereas ctnnb1 and wnt5a were downregulated. Inflammatory markers nuclear factor-kappa B and interleukin-1 beta were elevated in BSFL-fed groups, indicating an activated mucosal immune response.
Conclusion: Partial replacement of marine fish with fermented BSFL enhanced ASE survival, modulated intestinal immunity, and improved mucosal barrier function, without compromising overall growth performance. However, excessive inclusion may induce hepatic lipid accumulation and affect intestinal morphology. These findings support the use of fermented BSFL as a sustainable aquafeed ingredient, though inclusion levels should be carefully optimized to balance health benefits and growth efficiency. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-2cf659349c03418aab70e7367ec2e7f8 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 0972-8988 2231-0916 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | Veterinary World |
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| series | Veterinary World |
| spelling | doaj-art-2cf659349c03418aab70e7367ec2e7f82025-08-20T02:19:38ZengVeterinary WorldVeterinary World0972-89882231-09162025-04-011841002101310.14202/vetworld.2025.1002-1013Fermented black soldier fly larvae as a sustainable replacement for marine fish in Asian swamp eel dietsYifan Xiang0https://orcid.org/0009-0005-6409-0222Shaoqi Gao1https://orcid.org/0009-0006-2935-6141Yanhui Luo2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9447-2724Gaojian Tang3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3556-096XXiuwei Zou4https://orcid.org/0009-0004-3525-5422Kai Xie5https://orcid.org/0009-0001-5234-3967Wenjie Niu6https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5799-8287Xinyi Li7https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9824-0157Junan Xiang8https://orcid.org/0009-0002-5663-0047Ling Zhang9https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4649-5454Zhu Tan10https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0360-2272Xiaoyu Zeng11https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6426-7631Bo Wang12https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0604-1607State Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feeding, Department of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China.State Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feeding, Department of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China.State Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feeding, Department of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China.State Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feeding, Department of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China.Hunan Airbluer Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd., Hunan Changsha, China.Laboratory of Aquatic Animal Nutrition and Feeding, Department of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science, Hunan Agricultural University, Hunan, China.Laboratory of Aquatic Animal Nutrition and Feeding, Department of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science, Hunan Agricultural University, Hunan, China.Hunan Airbluer Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd., Hunan Changsha, China.Hunan Airbluer Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd., Hunan Changsha, China.Hunan Airbluer Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd., Hunan Changsha, China.Hunan Airbluer Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd., Hunan Changsha, China.Hunan Airbluer Environmental Protection Technology Co., Ltd., Hunan Changsha, China.State Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feeding, Department of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science, College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China.Background and Aim: Fermented black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) have emerged as a sustainable and economically viable protein source in aquaculture. However, their potential as a replacement for marine fish in the diets of Asian swamp eels (Monopterus albus, ASEs) remains underexplored. This study assessed the effects of partially substituting marine fish with fermented BSFL on ASE growth performance, intestinal development, and hepatic health. Materials and Methods: A total of 480 ASEs were randomly assigned to four dietary groups: control (40% marine fish), BSFL34 (13.4% BSFL), BSFL61 (24.1% BSFL), and BSFL82 (32.8% BSFL), replacing marine fish on a dry matter basis. All diets were isonitrogenous and isoenergetic. Fish were reared in net cages for over 90 days, and parameters including survival rate, growth metrics, muscle and liver histology, intestinal morphology, gene expression (quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction), and inflammatory protein levels (Western blotting) were assessed. Results: Survival rate was significantly higher in the BSFL61 group (p < 0.05). Growth performance was not impaired across BSFL-fed groups, although BSFL61 showed reduced body weight compared to BSFL82 (p < 0.05). Muscle fiber size, satellite cell number, and muscle triglyceride (TG) content remained unchanged. BSFL82 showed increased hepatic TG accumulation (p < 0.05) and reduced liver fibrosis, while BSFL61 exhibited a significantly lower hepatosomatic index and increased fibrosis. Intestinal villus height was reduced in BSFL34 and BSFL61, while goblet cell density increased in all BSFL groups. Notch1 expression was upregulated in BSFL61 and BSFL82, whereas ctnnb1 and wnt5a were downregulated. Inflammatory markers nuclear factor-kappa B and interleukin-1 beta were elevated in BSFL-fed groups, indicating an activated mucosal immune response. Conclusion: Partial replacement of marine fish with fermented BSFL enhanced ASE survival, modulated intestinal immunity, and improved mucosal barrier function, without compromising overall growth performance. However, excessive inclusion may induce hepatic lipid accumulation and affect intestinal morphology. These findings support the use of fermented BSFL as a sustainable aquafeed ingredient, though inclusion levels should be carefully optimized to balance health benefits and growth efficiency.https://veterinaryworld.org/Vol.18/April-2025/25.pdfasian swamp eelblack soldier fly larvaefermented insect proteinhepatic lipid accumulationintestinal immunitysustainable aquafeed |
| spellingShingle | Yifan Xiang Shaoqi Gao Yanhui Luo Gaojian Tang Xiuwei Zou Kai Xie Wenjie Niu Xinyi Li Junan Xiang Ling Zhang Zhu Tan Xiaoyu Zeng Bo Wang Fermented black soldier fly larvae as a sustainable replacement for marine fish in Asian swamp eel diets Veterinary World asian swamp eel black soldier fly larvae fermented insect protein hepatic lipid accumulation intestinal immunity sustainable aquafeed |
| title | Fermented black soldier fly larvae as a sustainable replacement for marine fish in Asian swamp eel diets |
| title_full | Fermented black soldier fly larvae as a sustainable replacement for marine fish in Asian swamp eel diets |
| title_fullStr | Fermented black soldier fly larvae as a sustainable replacement for marine fish in Asian swamp eel diets |
| title_full_unstemmed | Fermented black soldier fly larvae as a sustainable replacement for marine fish in Asian swamp eel diets |
| title_short | Fermented black soldier fly larvae as a sustainable replacement for marine fish in Asian swamp eel diets |
| title_sort | fermented black soldier fly larvae as a sustainable replacement for marine fish in asian swamp eel diets |
| topic | asian swamp eel black soldier fly larvae fermented insect protein hepatic lipid accumulation intestinal immunity sustainable aquafeed |
| url | https://veterinaryworld.org/Vol.18/April-2025/25.pdf |
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