I'm not so sure that tilapia take on the taste of what they are eating. We could easily prove this if some one is willing to eat a turkey buzzard.
I will believe that tilapia as do catfish will absorb the flavors of offensive algae odors in the water. A big part of offensive flavored fish is specific algae metabolites in the water that are directly absorbed into the tissues. If the wrong algae is present then fish can taste bad, but I don't think "off taste" comes directly from the foods that are eaten.
I can easily be wrong but physiologically explain to me how or why when tilapia or any other animal eats food and that food regardless of how good, bad or distasteful it is, the food goes through the digestive process and most if not all contents get broken down chemically and bacterially into basic soluble components such as basic sugars, carbohydrates, fats and amino acids. Some food substances and complex chemicals such as fiber do not get digested and are passed out the system. The basic amino acids and other components are then used to rebuild the protein and cells in the consumer organism. What we need is a physiologist to explain this for us.
