Nutritional, organoleptic and sensory quality of market-sized European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) fed defatted Tenebrio molitor larvae meal as main protein source

This study evaluated the impact of replacing 50 and 100% fishmeal protein by defatted (d-) Tenebrio molitor (TM) in diets for market-sized European sea bass. Growth performance, nutrient utilization and fillet nutritional, organoleptic and sensory quality traits were assessed after 16 weeks of feeding. The substitution of 50% fishmeal protein by dTM significantly improved feed efficiency without affecting fish growth performance. Muscle fat and n-3 PUFA content remained similar among fish, resulting in EPA and DHA levels above the recommended daily intake of 250 mg for human consumption. Despite some differences in the muscle histomorphometric and instrumental texture measurements, consumers could not perceive differences between muscle samples of fish fed the control or dTM diets. All samples were characterized by their soft and pleasant texture, and dTM samples were also associated with a “juicy texture”.