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The aim of this study was to investigate the response of grass carp feeding, growth, and antioxidant capacity to dietary protein content when using yellow mealworms as the main protein source. With yellow mealworms as the main protein source, 6 experimental diets with different protein level (25.25%, 29.43%, 33.38%, 37.96%, 41.40% and 45.70%, named as TMF1, TMF2, TMF3, TMF4, TMF5, and TMF6 group, respectively) were designed. The grass carp juveniles with initial weight of (3.63± 0.01) g were fed with the experimental diets for 8 weeks. The results are as follows: ① the specific growth rate, weight gain rate, and protein efficiency ratio of grass carp decreased with the increase of yellow mealworm addition, all of which were significantly higher in TMF1 group than those in FMF4, TMF5 and TMF6 groups (P<0.05), the feeding rate showed a first increasing and then decreasing trend, while the survival rate and feed efficiency were not affected (P>0.05) by dietary mealworm addition. ② Different levels of dietary yellow mealworm inclusion had no significant effect on the condition factor and percentage of eviscerated weight of grass carp (P>0.05), but the hepatopancreas somatic index and mesenteric fat index of grass carp increased first and then decreased with the increase of yellow mealworm content. The mesenteric fat index of TMF2 group was significantly higher than that of other groups (P<0.05). ③ The total protein, content in the serum of grass carp first increased and then decreased with the increase of yellow mealworms content. And the total protein content in the TMF4 group was significantly higher than those in other groups (P<0.05), but was not different from that in TMF3 group. The serum cholesterol content in TMF1 group was significantly lower than that in other groups, and the activity of aspartate aminotransferase in TMF4 and TMF6 group was significantly higher than that in TMF1, TMF2 and TMF3 group (P<0.05), while the content of triglyceride decreased significantly with the increase of the amount of yellow mealworms, which was significantly higher in the TMF1 group than those in TMF5 and TMF6 groups (P<0.05). The serum glucose in TMF1 group was significantly higher than that in TMF2 group (P<0.05), no other difference in serum glucose was observed. ④ The activities of SOD, T-AOC, MDA and GSH-Px in grass carp hepatopancreas decreased with the increase of yellow mealworms, and the GSH-Px activity as well the MDA content were significantly higher in TMF1 group than in other groups (P<0.05). However, the CAT activity did not vary significantly among groups (P>0.05). This study shows that the protein level of grass carp diet should not be more than 25.25% when yellow mealworms was used as the main protein source, and the increase of dietary yellow mealworms inclusion would depress the feeding, growth, and antioxidant performance of grass carp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Today, more and more is being said about issues related to resource depletion. This also applies to the raw materials necessary for food production. At the same time, the awareness of dog caregivers regarding their proper nutrition is increasing, and a balanced pet food should not only be nutritiously valuable but also in some cases hypoallergenic. These two considerations are the reason why food for dogs containing insects is becoming increasingly popular. Moreover, insects are nothing new in the diet of animals at all—they are a part of the diet in their natural environment. Due to the increasing global population, the world cannot currently support the well-known techniques of food production due to their harmful effects on land use, water consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions. The key answer is a solution based on the use of edible insects. They have always been present in the diet of animals. They are characterized by a very good nutritional value (e.g., high protein content and contents of essential amino acids and fatty acids, including lauric acid), and products with them receive positive results in palatability tests. Despite the existing literature data on the benefits of the use of insects as a protein source, their acceptance by consumers and animal caregivers remains problematic. In spite of the many advantages of using insects in pet food, it is necessary to analyze the risk of adverse food reactions, including allergic reactions that may be caused by insect consumption. Other hazards relate to the contamination of insects. For example, they can be contaminated with anthropogenic factors during breeding, packaging, cooking, or feeding. These contaminants include the presence of bacteria, mold fungi, mycotoxins, and heavy metals. However, insects can be used in the pet food industry. This is supported by the evolutionary adaptation of their wild ancestors to the eating of insects in the natural environment. The chemical composition of insects also corresponds to the nutritional requirements of dogs. It should be borne in mind that diets containing insect and their effects on animals require careful analysis. The aim of this article is to discuss the nutritional value of insects and their possible applications in the nutrition of companion animals, especially dogs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: A growing world population and ongoing climate change have created a need to find new sources of high‐quality food, especially protein, that are sustainable and environmentally friendly and help to reduce unsustainable livestock production. Therefore, it is necessary to look for sources of protein from new raw materials or to use existing materials that have not been used on a large scale. The highest protein intake characterises athletes; thus, the market for high‐protein products should be targeted for them. This paper outlines the main problems associated with protein production to date, mainly from animal sources and some known plant sources such as pulses, which can cause gastrointestinal problems in athletes. This review aimed to propose several new/alternative protein sources (Single Cell Protein, edible insects, algae, and potato protein) that may have the potential for use in food, including food for athletes while solving the described problems associated with existing protein sources. Insects have the best amino acid composition; microbial and algal proteins have great potential but require further development of technology for application to food products. Potato proteins are of high value and quality but also contain glycoalkaloids. However, using them brings additional economic and environmental benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Edible insects gain soaring interest as promising alternative sources of nutrients and other functional materials. Yet, their consumer acceptance is still a challenge, due to numerous reasons, ranging from cultural taboos to safety concerns over possible toxicity, allergenicity, or microbial loads. In order to extend insect consumption, efforts are made to eliminate the insect appearance and incorporate them into acceptable and palatable foods. However, there is scant data elucidating the impact of processing on the nutritional and physicochemical properties of this unique animal kingdom. This review examines the current body of evidence relating processing to the physicochemical properties of insects, with an emphasis on the potential ramifications to their digestive fate and bioaccessibility of bioactive moieties. Current literature indicates that all stages of insect processing impact both compatibility to desired food matrices and product properties. However, scant studies discuss the ramifications of processing on protein quality data, such as digestibility scores. This review emphasizes the possible implications of post-harvest processing techniques, mainly thermal processing, drying, enzymatic modifications, fermentation and extractions. Interestingly, it is shown that different insect genus have varying responsiveness to processing with diverse implications to in vitro digestibility. Taking consumer health to heart, future insect-based food solutions should rely on further investigation of the intersection between processing, food properties and digestion. This will enable putting such innovative and sustainable food solutions on clearer grounds. • Insect are yet to become staple ingredients in the western diet. • Processing offers numerous strategies to eliminate the insect appearance. • This review overviews the relationship between processing and insect physicochemical properties and product palatability. • Scoured evidence show good PDCAAS, DIASS and digestibility of insects are differentially affected by different processes. • Further work is needed to better understand the digestive fate of processed edible insects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A ten-week feeding trial was conducted to investigate the effects of the supplementation of Clostridium autoethanogenum protein (CAP) in practical diets on the growth performance, serum chemical parameters, antioxidant status and histopathological examination of the liver and midgut in juvenile Jian carp. Five isnitrogenous and isenergetic diets were formulated with graded levels of CAP (0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 g/kg) to replace plant proteins. The results showed that, final body weight, percent weight gain, specific growth rate, protein retention value, protein efficiency ratio and condition factor were significantly improved in fish fed with CAP, while feed conversion ratio was the opposite(P < 0.05). Visceral somatic index was significantly decreased in the fish fed with CAP (P < 0.05). Serum total cholesterol and total triglyceride contents were significantly increased with increasing dietary CAP levels, and serum lactate dehydrogenase showed an opposite trend (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, aspartate aminotransferase activities were significantly decreased with increasing dietary CAP levels (P < 0.05). The serum activities of the catalase were significantly increased with an increase in CAP levels (P < 0.05); however, malondialdehyde contents showed the opposite trend (P < 0.05). The mRNA expression levels of growth-related genes (PepT-1, PepT-2 and IGF-1), Nrf2 signaling pathway-related genes (Nrf2, Cu/Zn-SOD, HO-1, GPx, Mn-SOD and CAT) and TOR signaling pathway-related genes (TOR, 4E-BP2 and S6K1) were improved by the addition of dietary CAP (P < 0.05). Furthermore, from histological examination, CAP had no obvious effect on the liver and midgut. The present results indicated that CAP supplementation in practical diets has a beneficial effect on growth performance and antioxidant capacity and does not have an obvious effect on the liver and midgut in juvenile Jian carp. This study has shown the potential of converting industrial waste into a high protein feed ingredient for aquafeeds.

In the framework of sustainability and a circular economy, new ingredients for feed are desired and, to this end, initiatives for implementing such novel ingredients have been started. The initiatives include a range of different sources, of which insects are of particular interest. Within the European Union, generally, a new feed ingredient should comply with legal constraints in terms of ‘yes, provided that’ its safety commits to a range of legal limits for heavy metals, mycotoxins, pesticides, contaminants, pathogens etc. In the case of animal proteins, however, a second legal framework applies which is based on the principle ‘no, unless’. This legislation for eradicating transmissible spongiform encephalopathy consists of prohibitions with a set of derogations applying to specific situations. Insects are currently considered animal proteins. The use of insect proteins is a good case to illustrate this difference between a positive, although restricted, modus and a negative modus for allowing animal proteins. This overview presents aspects in the areas of legislation, feed safety, environmental issues, efficiency and detection of the identity of insects. Use of insects as an extra step in the feed production chain costs extra energy and this results in a higher footprint. A measure for energy conversion should be used to facilitate the comparison between production systems based on cold- versus warm-blooded animals. Added value can be found by applying new commodities for rearing, including but not limited to category 2 animal by-products, catering and household waste including meat, and manure. Furthermore, monitoring of a correct use of insects is one possible approach for label control, traceability and prevention of fraud. The link between legislation and enforcement is strong. A principle called WISE (Witful, Indicative, Societal demands, Enforceable) is launched for governing the relationship between the above-mentioned aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crops contaminated with fungal mycotoxins such as aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) are often downgraded or removed from the food chain. This study aimed to evaluate the tolerance and accumulation of AFB1 in two insect species to determine whether they could be used to retain condemned mycotoxin contaminated crops in the food chain. First, instar black soldier fly larvae (Hermetia illucens, BSF) and yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor, YMW) were fed poultry feed spiked with AFB1 and formulated to contain levels of 0.01, 0.025, 0.05, 0.10, 0.25, and up to 0.5 mg/kg dry feed. Poultry feed without any additions and feed with only the solvent added served as controls. The AFB1 in the feed did not affect survival and body weight in the BSF and YMW larvae (p > 0.10), indicating a high tolerance to aflatoxin B1 in both species. Furthermore, AFB1 and aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) were below the detection limit (0.10 μg/kg) in BSF larvae, whereas the YMW had AFB1 levels that were approximately 10% of the European Union's legal limit for feed materials and excreted AFM1. It is concluded that both BSF larvae and YMW have a high AFB1 tolerance and do not accumulate AFB1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Aquaculture represents a solution to the future world demand for healthy protein while challenges that require urgent solutions are emerging in feed production, such as the rising costs of feed protein and massive imports. From a European perspective, a large proportion of the protein demand is met with imported protein. This article will focus on the development of protein-rich microorganisms (i.e. Single cell protein) as a novel raw material in fish feed which can be produced as an important co-product in wood-based biorefineries, increasing sustainability and the utilization of organic waste material. Scope and Approach Developing a safe and sustainable protein resource from local organic waste-material represents an opportunity for Europe to decrease its reliance on nutritional imports, and address mounting food sector sustainability concerns and a growing protein deficit. At the same time, the nutrient recycling industry represents a growing industry, addressing waste valorization and protein feed production concerns at once. Key Findings and Conclusion An industry and research collaboration has focused on selecting which microorganisms and residual streams from a wood-biorefinery site that would be best suited for production of SCP. The study showed that 38–68% of the fishmeal in a Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) feed could be replaced with SCP while maintaining a similar or slightly improved fish growth. As reported by FAO, aquaculture production of Nile tilapia in 2014 was 3.7 million tonnes, making it one of the most produced fish species in the world. Highlights • Single cell protein (SCP) production is being re-invented as protein rich feed material. • Many species have high protein content and amino acid profiles similar to fishmeal. • Study shows that 38–68% of the fishmeal in a Tilapia feed could be replaced with SCP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]