Black soldier fly larval meal with exogenous protease in diets for rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) production meeting consumer quality.

A protein gap exists within the supply of fish feed ingredients due to intensifying global aquaculture production and demands. This is distinctly acute in salmonid farming where protein requirements are higher to other aquatic farmed species. In pursuit of a viable alternative, an eight-week feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the feasibility of including reared black soldier fly (BSF, Hermetia illucens) larvae into rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) diets. Five diets were formulated: a fish meal-based basal diet (CTRL), two diets of BSF incorporation at 15 and 30% (BSF15; BSF30), and two diets at the same incorporation level with the addition of a supplementary protease enzyme (BSF15P; BSF30P) assigned to test potential dietary enhancement. No significant growth performance between the dietary treatments was observed. The fish condition factor in BSF30 was higher than BSF30P (P=0.025). Fillets showed increased muscle yellowness as dietary BSF increased (P...