01/02/2021
Superworms (Zoophobas morio) and mealworms (Tenebrio molitor) are a great nutritional food source for birds, fishes, reptiles, amphibians, and small mammals. Superworms have 58% protein content, also contains vitamins, enzymes, hormones, and other nutritional benefits.
Its high protein content makes it the perfect raw material component that can be added into bread, pastry, instant noodles, and other foodstuffs. It can be processed into health care products to help boost the immune system and animal feed ingredient for poultry, piggery, and livestock. Today, superworms are mainly used as food for aquarium fishes such as arowanas and flowerhorns. Also becoming a popular food for exotic pets such as reptiles, hedgehogs, sugar gliders, scorpions, etc.
Another important field where it can make a great impact is in the field of aquaculture. It can be given live direct to any type of aquaculture fish be it freshwater or marine fish. If processed it can be made into a feed ingredient for commercial fishfood.
The greatest thing about these worms is that they are easy to breed and it can be done on your own at a very minimal cost. If fishfarmers could explore this avenue of fish food production and could produce enough for their own feed requirements, then production cost could be greatly reduced and profitability increased.
China has been the undisputed leader in global aquaculture production because they were able to utilize or manufacture aquatic feeds out of azula, water Hyacinth's, duckweed, silkworms, mealworms, superworms, snails, grains, bran, blood and bone meal etc.
Kaunting kaalaman!!!
Well, the Philippines is not far behind, we can still catch up if we want to. The non-stop price increases in commercial feeds, in which we are very dependent, will eventually lead fishfarmers to look for other alternatives to lessen cost. The same reason will also force feed manufacturers to look for cheaper ingredients to replace expensive traditional ones like fish meal, of course without compromising quality. Well, let's just nature takes its course but remember that early birds catches worms.