Speckled cockroach feed meal as compared to other feeds of animal origin

Abstract

Various insects are often used to feed exotic and some production animals; one of which is the speckled cockroach (Nauphoeta cinerea). A topical issue is the study of the chemical composition and nutritional value of the speckled cockroach. This research determined the chemical composition of crushed insects and compared the mineral, amino acid and vitamin composition of the feed meal obtained from speckled cockroaches with other feeds of animal origin. The research target was the feed meal made by grinding dried killed speckled cockroaches. The chemical composition of crushed insects was studied according to generally accepted methods. The composition of crushed insects (feed meal - sample 1) was compared with the chemical composition of feeds of animal origin as meat-and-bone meal (sample 2) and fish meal (sample 3) according to literature sources. The samples 2 and 3 contained more calcium and phosphorus by 119.95 and 43.55 g; 64.71 and 26.91 g kg than the sample 1. The sample 3 had higher content of magnesium and potassium than the other two samples by 2.7 and 2.0; 3.35 and 3.15 g kg. The content levels of iron, copper and zinc in sample 1 were by 73.7; 11.5 and 7.45 mg kg higher than in sample 2. In terms of trace element content, sample 3 had larger content than sample 1 with the exception of iron. Regarding the amino acid composition in the samples, 17 amino acids were revealed in sample 1. Compared with meal samples 2 and 3, the largest amounts of lysine and methionine + cystine were found by 20.3 and 7.43%; 48.3 and 24.73%, respectively. The following vitamins were found: sample 1 - A, D₃ and E; sample 2 - vitamins E and B; and in sample 3 - vitamins E, D₃ and B. The feature of sample 1 was the presence of a large amount of vitamin E (the difference compared to other samples made 34 and 15.7 mg kg, respectively).