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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Auburn, Alabama » Aquatic Animal Health Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #358244
Research Project: Pathogen Characterization, Host Immune Response and Development of Strategies to Reduce Losses to Disease in Aquaculture

Location: Aquatic Animal Health Research

Title: Nutritional evaluation of frass from black soldier fly larvae as potential feed ingredient for pacific white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei

Author
item Aksoy, Mediha
item Eljack, Rashida
item SCHRIMSHER, COLE - Auburn University
item Beck, Benjamin

Submitted to: Book of Abstracts World Aquaculture Society
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/12/2018
Publication Date: 3/7/2019
Citation: Aksoy, M., Eljack, R.M., Schrimsher, C., Beck, B.H. 2019. Nutritional evaluation of frass from black soldier fly larvae as potential feed ingredient for pacific white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei. Book of Abstracts World Aquaculture Society. p. 95.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Frass is the by-product of the larva meal industry, is currently readily available and competitively priced relative to larva meal. Besides high protein and fat contents (21.6% and 6%, respectively), frass contains abundant nutrients, chitin (a naturally occurring biopolymer from invertebrate shells), and beneficial microbes. This study evaluates the effect of dietary levels of frass derived from the larvae of black soldier flies fed Distillers' dried grains with solubles on growth, feed utilization, hemocyte count, hemocyanin, plasma total protein, cholesterol and whole body and fillet proximate compositions of Pacific white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei. Four isocaloric diets containing frass at levels of 0, 5, 10, and 20% as partial replacements of a combination of soybean meal (SBM), cottonseed meal (CSM), wheat short (WS) and corn meal (CM) on an equal protein basis were offered four times daily to Pacific white shrimp. Four replicate groups of 15 shrimp per tank (initial weight 4.06g) were offered experimental diets at 4% total body weight daily for 12 weeks. Shrimp in each aquarium was group-weighed and counted at 2-week intervals and feed inputs were adjusted based on observed survival and weight gain. Although frass fed groups showed slight improvement on growth performance and hemolymph parameters, no significant differences were observed in final weight gain, feed utilization, survival, body composition and hemolymph parameters. Frass can be incorporated in shrimp diets up to 20% as a substitute for a combination of SBM, CSM, WS and CM without affecting their growth performance, body composition, hemolymph parameters.