University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Insect meals as novel protein sources in retorted pet food for adult cats

Hu, Yi

Content Files
HU-THESIS-2020.pdf

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/109444

Description

Title
Insect meals as novel protein sources in retorted pet food for adult cats
Author(s)
Hu, Yi
Issue Date
2020-12-08
Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)
Godoy, Maria
Committee Member(s)
  • Swanson, Kelly S
  • Fahey, George C.
Department of Study
Animal Sciences
Discipline
Animal Sciences
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
M.S.
Degree Level
Thesis
Date of Ingest
2021-03-05T21:38:22Z
Keyword(s)
alternative protein, chemical composition, fatty acid, feline, insect, nutrient digestibility
Abstract
Insect meals are novel and potentially sustainable protein sources. The objective of this study was to determine the chemical composition of 3 selected insect meals [i.e., speckled cockroach (SC), madagascar hissing cockroach (MC) and superworm (SW)] and to determine the effects of these novel ingredients on food intake, apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of macronutrients, fecal scores and metabolites of adult cats fed insect- or chicken-based retorted diets. This study consisted of a complete randomized design, with 28 adult cats (mean age = 2.1  0.03 yr; mean BW= 4.9  0.8 kg) randomly assigned to 4 experimental retorted diets: Control (chicken-based diet), SC diet, MC diet, or SW diet. All animal procedures were approved by the University of Illinois Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. All diets were formulated according to AAFCO (2018) nutrient profile for adult cats. The experimental period was 28 d, with 7 d of diet adaptation followed by 21 d of dietary treatment. Total fecal collection was completed during the last 4 d of the experimental period. On d21, fresh fecal sample from each cat was collected for the determination of fecal metabolites. Food was offered twice daily to maintain the cats’ body weight and body condition score. Among the 3 selected insect meals evaluated, oleic acid (113,352-46,353 ug/g), palmitic acid (62,580-19,104 ug/g), linoleic acid (46,265-13,926 ug/g), and stearic acid (21,654-6,473 ug/g) were the most prevalent fatty acids. Branched-chain amino acids and arginine were the most preponderant indispensable amino acids in insect meals. Apparent total tract digestibility of dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), acid hydrolyzed fat (AHF), and crude protein (CP) did not differ among treatments (P > 0.05) and all diets were well digested by the cats. Similarly, fecal scores did not differ among the treatments and were within the ideal range. Furthermore, no differences (P > 0.05) in fecal metabolite concentrations were observed among cats fed with different experimental diets. In conclusion, the selected insect meals evaluated herein are rich in linoleic acid, an essential fatty acid for cats. Furthermore, cats fed retorted diets containing these insect meals had comparable ATTD of macronutrients, fecal scores and metabolite concentrations of cats fed the chicken-based diet; suggesting that these novel protein sources might be adequate alternative protein sources in feline diets.
Graduation Semester
2020-12
Type of Resource
Thesis
Permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/2142/109444
Copyright and License Information
Copyright 2020，Yi Hu

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