Blood Characteristics and Tissue Histology of Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis Niloticus Niloticus) Fed A Diet Containing Cheese Skipper (Piophila Casei) Larvae

Alaa G. M. Osman^1,2*, Ali G. Gadel-Rab¹, Fatma A. Mahmoud³, Heba S. Hamed⁴, Mohamed M. Elshehaby¹, Ahmed E. Ali¹ and Werner Kloas^2,5

• ¹Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University (Assiut branch), Egypt
• ²Department of Ecophysiology and Aquaculture, Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Germany
• ³Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Assiut University, Egypt
• ⁴Department of Zoology, Faculty of Women for Arts, Science and Education, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt
• ⁵Department of Endocrinology, Institute of Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany

Received: September 26, 2019;   Published: October 15, 2019

*Corresponding author: Alaa Osman, Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University [Assiut branch], 71524 Assiut, Egypt

DOI: 10.32474/SJFN.2019.02.000137

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Abstract

A three-month laboratory feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the suitability of cheese skipper larvae [maggots] as an alternative protein source for Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus niloticus) instead of fishmeal. The diets tested were a commercial diet (Diet 1, 0% maggot inclusion) and a maggot diet (Diet 2, 100% maggot inclusion). The values obtained for both treatment groups indicated nutritional adequacy of the diets. Non-significant differences were observed between both treatment groups for nearly all the hematological parameters. A marked increase in the total protein, ALT, AST and triglyceride levels was observed in the blood of fish fed the maggot diet compared to the levels in the blood of fish fed the commercial diet, suggesting health improvement in fish fed the maggot diet. The replacement of fishmeal with maggot meal is acceptable from a growth perspective and in terms of the observed histological architecture. The results show that the maggot diet can be conveniently used as a total replacement for fishmeal in the diet of Nile tilapia.

Abbreviation: Aquaculture; Maggot Diet; Nile Tilapia; Blood Characteristics; Histology