Insect Meal in Aquaculture Feeds-Historical Development, Current Applications, and Future Perspectives

Yıl 2025, Cilt: 10 Sayı: 6, 902 - 912, 30.11.2025

Tolga Şahin

https://doi.org/10.35229/jaes.1768797

Öz

Global aquaculture production, reaching 223 million tons in 2022, has outpaced wild-capture fisheries, escalating dependence on unsustainable fishmeal resources. Insect meals offer a sustainable alternative, providing high crude protein, balanced amino acid profiles, and bioactive compounds like chitin, lauric acid, and antimicrobial peptides. These support growth, gut health, and immunity in species such as salmon, tilapia, and shrimp, with feeding trials showing up to 100% fishmeal replacement without compromising performance in certain cases. Reared on agro-industrial by-products, insect meals align with circular economy principles, reducing land and water use and alleviating pressure on marine ecosystems. Challenges include high production costs (US $3,800–6,000/ton), substrate contamination risks from heavy metals or chemical residues, and regulatory disparities, though the European Union’s 2017 Regulation (EU 2017/893) marked a key milestone by authorizing several insect species for aquafeeds. Future research priorities, while more briefly addressed, include assessing how rearing substrates influence nutritional profiles and exploring insect meal formulations. This review traces the historical evolution of insect meal use in aquafeeds, examines nutritional benefits, application outcomes, economic constraints, and environmental advantages, and highlights both the opportunities and challenges for large-scale adoption in sustainable aquaculture.

Anahtar Kelimeler

aquaculture , circular economy , fish feed , fishmeal replacement , sustainability

Akuakültür Yemlerinde Böcek Unu: Tarihsel Gelişim, Güncel Uygulamalar ve Gelecek Perspektifleri

Öz

2022 yılında 223 milyon tona ulaşan küresel su ürünleri yetiştiriciliği üretimi, doğal avcılık balıkçılığını geride bırakarak sürdürülemez balık unu kaynaklarına olan bağımlılığı artırmıştır. Böcek unları; yüksek ham protein, dengeli amino asit profilleri ve kitin, laurik asit ile antimikrobiyal peptitler gibi biyoaktif bileşikler sağlayarak sürdürülebilir bir alternatif sunmaktadır. Bu özellikleriyle somon, tilapia ve karides gibi türlerde büyümeyi, bağırsak sağlığını ve bağışıklığı desteklemektedir. Yapılan besleme denemeleri, bazı durumlarda performanstan ödün vermeden %100’e kadar balık unu ikamesi sağlanabildiğini göstermektedir. Tarımsal ve endüstriyel yan ürünlerle yetiştirilen böcek unları, döngüsel ekonomi ilkeleriyle uyumlu olup arazi ve su kullanımını azaltmakta, ayrıca deniz ekosistemleri üzerindeki baskıyı hafifletmektedir. Bununla birlikte, yüksek üretim maliyetleri (3.800–6.000 $/ton), ağır metaller veya kimyasal kalıntılardan kaynaklanan substrat kontaminasyon riskleri ve mevzuattaki farklılıklar önemli zorluklar arasında yer almaktadır. Ancak Avrupa Birliği’nin 2017 tarihli Yönetmeliği (AB 2017/893), su ürünleri yemlerinde çeşitli böcek türlerinin kullanımına izin vererek önemli bir dönüm noktası olmuştur. Gelecekteki araştırma öncelikleri arasında, yetiştirme substratlarının besin profillerine etkilerinin değerlendirilmesi ve böcek unu formülasyonlarının geliştirilmesi yer almaktadır. Bu derleme, su ürünleri yemlerinde böcek unu kullanımının tarihsel gelişimini izlemekte; besinsel faydalarını, uygulama sonuçlarını, ekonomik kısıtlamalarını ve çevresel avantajlarını ele almakta ve sürdürülebilir su ürünleri yetiştiriciliğinde büyük ölçekli benimsemenin hem fırsatlarını hem de zorluklarını vurgulamaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

akuakültür , döngüsel ekonomi , balık yemi , balık unu ikâmesi , sürdürülebilirlik

Kaynakça

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