As the intensive development of aquaculture persists, the demand for fishmeal continues to grow; however, since fishery resources are limited, the price of fishmeal remains high. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop new sources of protein. They are rich in proteins, fatty acids, amino acids, chitin, vitamins, minerals, and antibacterial substances. Maggot meal-based diet is an ideal source of high-quality animal protein and a new type of protein-based immune enhancer with good application prospects in animal husbandry and aquaculture. In the present study, we investigated the effects of three different diets containing maggot protein on the growth and intestinal microflora of Litopenaeus vannamei. The shrimp were fed either a control feed (no fly maggot protein added), FM feed (compound feed with 30% fresh fly maggot protein added), FF feed (fermented fly maggot protein), or HT feed (high-temperature pelleted fly maggot protein) for eight weeks. The results showed that fresh fly maggot protein in the feed was detrimental to shrimp growth, whereas fermented and high-temperature-pelleted fly maggot protein improved shrimp growth and survival. The effects of different fly maggot protein treatments on the intestinal microbiota of L. vannamei also varied. Fermented fly maggot protein feed and high-temperature-pelleted fly maggot protein feed increased the relative abundance of Ruegeria and Pseudomonas, which increased the abundance of beneficial bacteria and thus inhibited the growth of harmful bacteria. In contrast, fresh fly maggot proteins alter the intestinal microbiome, disrupting symbiotic relationships between bacteria, and causing invasion by Vibrio and antibiotic-resistant bacteria. These results suggest that fresh fly maggot proteins affect the composition of intestinal microorganisms, which is detrimental to the intestinal tract of L. vannamei, whereas fermented fly maggot protein feed affected the growth of L. vannamei positively by improving the composition of intestinal microorganisms.
Keywords: Litopenaeus vannamei; fly maggot protein; growth performance; intestinal microorganisms; survival rate.