Received: 21-08-2020 / Accepted: 23-04-2021
Vermiculture and earthworm use as animal feed have been globally developed; however, in Vietnam, vermiculture has been spontaneously developed and not yet become a commercial industry. The objective of this paper is to highlight and evaluate the biological characteristics, nutritive values, harvesting and processing methods of some earthworm species and their use in animal feed. Currently, three main earthworm species popularly cultured in Vietnam are Eisenia fetida, Eudrilus eugeniae, and Perionyx excavatus), of which Eudrilus eugeniae is the most important species in producing protein biomass. Earthworms are nutrient-rich feed (51.62-69.8 % crude protein, 5.8-12.0% crude fat in dry matter) with sufficient amino acid composition and vitamins. Among the various methods of earthworm processing, drying and hydrolysis are the most appropriate and popular. We should minimize the risks of heavy metal residue, microbial and parasitic contamination, and utilize at a proportion below the recommended doses (15% in chicken diet and 25-30% in fish diet). Further studies should focus on improving the processing methods to produce a safe and feasible source of animal feed with acceptable production costs.