Growth performance of rainbow trout fed defatted black soldier fly meal: preliminary results

The search for alternative protein sources is an ongoing problem for aquaculture sustainability. This is essentially due to the contemporary increased demand and decreased availability of fish meal (FM), being responsible for price increase of aqua feed. In order to face this problem, researches have been focusing on insect meals, with some results highlighting that they can be profitably used in fish diets (Barroso et al., 2014; Henry et al., 2015). Black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae meal (HIM) could be an interesting choice due to its favorable nutritional profile. Aim of this trial was to investigate the effects of the inclusion of a defatted HIM in rainbow trout diets on animal growth performance and on nutrient digestibility