Table 1. Apparent digestibility coefficients (ADC) of insect feed for fish, poultry, and pig

Targeted animal Consisted insect species (life stage) Composition of insect meal Diets Estimated ADC (%) Recommended diets Reference
Fish
 Nile Tilapia Finger lings Nauphoeta cinerea (adult)Zophobas morio (larvae)Gromphadorhina portentosa (adult)Gryllus assimilis (adult)Tenebrio molitor (larvae) Mixture of 20% insect meal and 80% commercial meal Pellet typeThree times daily for 15 days Dried matter (61.7–95.8)Crude protein (58.3–92.4)Energy (47.0–82.1)Lipid (87.9–98.8)Chitin (59.8–81.3) T. molitor meal [18]
 Gilthead sea bream Tenebrio molitor (larvae) Mixture of 25% and 50% insect meal and commercial meal Pellet typeTwo times daily for 16 days Dried matter (78.46 and 87.44)Crude protein (79.19 and 87.26)Ether extract (82.39 and 89.93) 25% substituted meal [19]
 Pacific white shrimp Allomyrina dichotoma (larvae)Oxya chinensis (adult)Hermetia illucens (larvae)Protaetia brevitarsis (larvae)Tenebrio molitor (larvae)Gryllus bimaculatus (adult)Bombyx mori (pupae) Mixture of 30% insect meal and 70% commercial meal Pellet typeTwo times daily for 6 days Protein (82.8–89.0)Lipid (91.2–98.0)Energy (83.6–90.3)Dry matter (78.5–81.0)Chitin (28.0–35.5) A. dichotoma and H. illucens meal [23]
 Rainbow trout Tenebrio molitor (larvae) Insect substituted 0%, 25%, 50% commercial meal Pellet typeTwo times daily for 14 days Protein (90.1–92.2)No sigifnicant difference in dry matter, organic matter, and ether extract. 25% substituted meal [21]
 Non-tested Hermetia illucens (larvae)Acheta domesticus (adult) Substituted 25%, 50%, 75% Extruded pellet type Not detected but expected improving digestibility after extruding 75% substituted meal [24]
 Hybrid catfish figerlings Zonocerus variegatus (adult)Dung beetle (larvae) Substituted 0%, 10%, 20%, 40%, 60% blended (1:1) insect meal Pellet typeThree times daily for 56 days Protein (88.50–90.11)Lipid (85.00–58.70)Fiber (55.26–57.22) 40% substituted meal [95]
Poultry
 Broiler chicken Tenebrio molitor (larvae)Zophobas morio (larvae) 0.2% and 0.3% full-fat meal Ad libitum 35 days (1–14 days starter diets, 15–35 days grown diets) Protein (73–77)Ether extract (93–94) All treatments [26]
Hermeita illucens (larvae) 250 g/kg partially and highly defatted insect meal Ad libitum 26–32 days Dry matter (59–63)Organic matter (64–69)Crude protein (62)Ether extract (93–98)Gross energy (50–61) Partially defatted insect meal [28]
Tenebrio molitor (larvae)Hermetia illucens (larvae) 250 g/kg two different insect meal Ad libitum 26–35 days Dry matter (53–60)Organic matter (66)Crude protein (51–60)Ether extract (88–99)Gross energy (64–69) T. molitor consisted meal [30]
Hermetia illucens (larvae) substituted 10% layer mash meal and 50:50 layer mash: fish offal meal Ad libitum 16–28 days Dry matterOrganic matterEther extract 10% substituted layer mash meal [33]
 Laying hen Hermetia illucens (larvae) Partially defatted insect substituted 25% and 50% meal Manually distributed 20 weeks Dry matter (64.29–70.29)Organic matter (67.23–73.66)Crude protein (76.06–81.12)Ether extract (89.33–90.83) 25% substituted meal more suitable [34]
 Laying quail Tenebrio molitor (larvae) Substituted 5%, 10%, and 20% of protein of commercial meal 54 days Dry matter (75.4–77.6)Organic matter (77.5–80.1)Crude protein (72.3–77.5)Ether extract (89.9–90.5)Calcium (79.1–79.7) 5% substituted meal [35]
 Turkey Hermetia illucens (larvae) 50% and 100% insect fat extract substituted soy bean oil Ad libitum 7–35 days Crude protein (83.10–84.88)Ether extract (96.38–07.13) All treatments [36]
 Duck Periplaneta americana (nymph)Hydrous cavistanum (adult)Tenebrio molitor (larvae)Zophobas morio (larvae)Bactrocera dorsalis (larvae)Hermetia illucens (prepupae)Musca domestica (larvae)Achroia grisella (larvae)Bombyx mori (larvae and pupae)Philosamina ricini (pupae)Allomyrina domesticus (adult)Gryllotalpa Africana (adult)Gryllus bimaculatus (adult)Gryllus testaceus (adult)Locusta migratoria (adult)Patanga succincta (adult) Dried ground insect In vitro digestibility (stomach and small intestine) Organic matter (over 50%)Crude protein (over 20%) T. molitorZ. morioA. grisellaM. domesticaB. moriP. Americana [37]
Pig
 Piglets Hermetia illucens (larvae) Substituted 5%, 10%, and 20% commercial meal Pellet type 4 weeks Dry matter (82.7–83.0)Crude protein (77.3–78.4)Starch (99.7–99.8)Crude fat (78.0–80.0)Acid detergent fiber (27.9–29.2)Amylase-treated neutral detergent fiber (36.9–39.4)Phosphorus (51.5–56.4)Ash (57.4–61.2)Energy (81.8–82.3) 20% substituted meal [39]
Hermetia illucens (larvae) Defatted insect substituted 0, 5, and 10% Ad libitum 61 days Dry matter (95.4–95.9)Organic matter (96.0–96.4)Crude protein (77.7–82.8)Ether extract (82.8–85.7) All treatments [40]
Ptecticus tenebrifer (larvae) Substituted 0, 50, and 100% fishmeal Ad libitumPellet type 35 days Dry matter (78.81–80.41)Nitrogen (78.57–80.27)Gross energy (79.28–79.46) 100% substituted meal [41]
 Growing pig Tenebrio molitor (larvae) Compared with fish, poultry, and meat meal 2 weeks Dry matter (89.44)Gross energy (89.53)Crude protein (89.58)Total amino acid (89.60) Insect meal [42]
Tenebrio molitor (larvae) Compared with defatted and hydrolyzed T. molitor, fermented poultry offal, and hydrolyzed fishmeal 2 weeks Dry matter (87.45, 89.47)Crude protein (86.37, 89.31)Crude fat (82.12, 89.80)Total amino acid (78.09, 79.52) Hydrolyzed T. molitor [43]