# Fish meal replacement with poultry byproduct and black soldier fly larvae proteins: effects on growth, flesh quality, bioactivity, and physiological responses of Nile tilapia

## TL;DR

This study explores replacing fishmeal with poultry byproduct and insect proteins in Nile tilapia diets, finding that insect meal supports growth and health as effectively as fishmeal.

## Contribution

The study demonstrates that insect meal from Hermetia illucens is a viable and sustainable alternative to fishmeal in aquaculture.

## Key findings

- TIM diet showed highest growth rates and antioxidant activity in fish muscle.
- TIM and TFM diets had the highest absorption surface area in fish.
- Fish fed TIM had lower inflammation markers and normal organ architecture.

## Abstract

The demand for fishmeal is increasing, but its supply is stagnating or even declining. There is an urgent need to find an eco-friendly and cost-effective alternative protein source. This study evaluated poultry by-product and insect meal as alternatives to fishmeal for the health performance and bioactivity of Nile tilapia. A Nile tilapia fry was divided into four groups with three replicates (No = 168). The first group was fed a basal diet containing 20% fishmeal (TFM). The second, third, and fourth groups received a basal diet where the fishmeal was substituted with poultry by-product meal (TPM), insect meal from Hermetia illucens (TIM), and a mixture of poultry by-product and insect meal (TMIX), respectively. The overall growth performance data indicated that TFM and TIM significantly achieved the highest growth rates and feed utilization (P < 0.05). The TIM diet significantly exhibited the highest total phenolic content, and both TIM and TFM showed superior antioxidant activity in fish muscle. There were no abnormal hematological or serum biochemical parameters observed in Nile tilapia fed insect meal and/or poultry by-product. The fish fillet samples from all groups were microbiologically safe for human consumption. Fish fed TIM displayed the lowest levels of TNF-α and the highest levels of IL-10 (P < 0.05). All the groups exhibited normal architecture of the internal organs. The significantly highest recorded absorption surface area was found in both TFM and TIM diets (P < 0.05). The NF-κB immunostaining showed no significant changes among experimental groups (P > 0.05). Based on this study, it can be suggested that the insect meal can be a sustainable and cost-effective substitute for conventional fishmeal in aquaculture feed formulations.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1038/s41598-026-43600-x.