ISSUE FOCUS FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE October 2022 27 to produce 500% more premium protein than any other farm. The facilities where this species is reared and processed do not generate any waste, since in addition to the protein and fat extracted from the larvae, the insect's excrement is used to manufacture a biofertilizer that is suitable for organic farming. And once the worm has transformed into a beetle, from it we can get chitin, a polymer with dozens of bioindustrial applications, from the manufacture of biodegradable plastics to the treatment of wastewater, as well as medical, pharmaceutical or cosmetic uses. To close the circle, these farms have been conceived and designed to be powered almost exclusively by renewable energies, which in the end results in a negative carbon footprint, since not only are they non-polluting factories, but their products allow the industries that use them to pollute less. Mealworms, like the six other insects currently approved by the European Union for animal feed formulation, have four main markets: aquaculture, swine, poultry and the pet segment. However, it is the first two that can have the greatest impact on the environment. IN THE AQUACULTURE INDUSTRY The aquaculture industry has long been looking for new feed sources to reduce dependence on processed fishmeal obtained from offshore catches. And among the alternatives being considered, insects are one of the most interesting options. Tenebrio molitor meal can have a protein concentration higher than 72%. And its ratio between digestible protein and crude protein by pepsic digestion is higher than 90%. It has less than 7% fat and its ash does not reach 5%. All this translates into an improvement of the metabolic behavior of fry and juveniles, since the animals need less energy to synthesize the amino acids and proteins present in this ingredient. And thus, the immune system is indirectly strengthened as well. The latest study carried out with rainbow trout and sea bream indicates that fish fed with tenebrio meal develop more robustly, show a lower degree of stress and are more resistant to the pathogens they face in the water, which in turn allows a reduction of antibiotic use. The same was found with juvenile sea bass fed for six weeks with this type of protein. Specifically,
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