Influence of Culture Medium on Productivity and Nutrient Composition of the Housefly (Musca domestica) Maggot

Maggot meal, including that produced from the Housefly (Musca domestica) is a suitable substitute to fishmeal and soybean meal which are the conventional protein sources in diets of fish and livestock.Several types of culture media are used for maggot culture, but there is limited knowledge on their impact on maggot productivity and nutrient composition.The aim of this study was to access the impact of culture media on maggot productivity and nutrient composition.Maggot was cultured for 3 days in partial wooden boxes (PWB) and complete wooden boxes (CWB) using poultry manure supplemented with fish viscera.Maggot production was 0.0089±0.0002kg and 0.0066±0.0002kg on dry matter basis per kg poultry manure in PWB and CWB, respectively.The dry matter, crude protein, fat, crude fibre, ash, nitrogen free extract and gross energy were 85.62±0.02%,43.80±0.21%,4.62±0.00%,10.66±0.06%,10.91±0.22%,30.14% and 4633.64±13.58(kcal/kg), respectively for maggot cultured in PWB and 90.13±0.13%,42.07±0.23%,8.38±0.01%,11.81±0.40%,17.22±0.11%,20.59% and 4534.21±12.30(kcal/kg), respectively for maggot cultured in CWB.The mean temperature in the boxes was 32-39°C and 32-42°C in PWB and CWB, respectively.Based on maggot productivity and maggot meal nutrient composition, the PWB is the preferred medium for housefly maggot culture.