How to develop strategies to use insects as animal feed: digestibility, functionality, safety, and regulation

Abstract

Various insects have emerged as novel feed resources due to their economical, eco-friendly, and nutritive characteristics. Fish, poultry, and pigs are livestock that can feed on insects. The digestibility of insect-containing meals were presented by the species, life stage, nutritional component, and processing methods. Several studies have shown a reduced apparent digestibility coefficient (ADC) when insects were supplied as a replacement for commercial meals related to chitin. Although the expression of chitinase mRNA was present in several livestock, indigestible components in insects, such as chitin or fiber, could be a reason for the reduced ADC. However, various components can positively affect livestock health. Although the bio-functional properties of these components have been verified in vitro, they show positive health-promoting effects owing to their functional expression when directly applied to animal diets. Changes in the intestinal microbiota of animals, enhancement of immunity, and enhancement of antibacterial activity were confirmed as positive effects that can be obtained through insect diets. However, there are some issues with the safety of insects as feed. To increase the utility of insects as feed, microbial hazards, chemical hazards, and allergens should be regulated. The European Union, North America, East Asia, Australia, and Nigeria have established regulations regarding insect feed, which could enhance the utility of insects as novel feed resources for the future.

Factors affecting the decision-making process of using insect-based products in animal feed formulations

“…In vitro protocols have also been assessed (Kovitvadhi et al, 2019;Rodríguez-Rodríguez et al, 2022). Overall, the insect meals have been reported to display good to high nutrient digestibility in all monogastric animals, with ADCs for DM ranging from 61.7 to 95.8 in fish, 53.0 to 77.6 in poultry, and 78.8 to 95.9 in pigs, CP from 58.3 to 92.4, 51.0 to 84.8, and 77.3 to 89.6, respectively, and EE from 82.4 to 98.8, 88.0 to 99.0, and 78.0 to 89.8, respectively (Lee et al, 2022).…”

Effects of meal processing of black soldier fly on standardized amino acids digestibility in pigs

“…However, there are certain disparities in their composition that are imperative to consider when formulating swine diets. In terms of crude protein (CP), BSF larvae meal generally exhibits higher levels compared to fish meal [4,9]. However, fish meal is often deemed to have a more balanced amino acid (AA) profile in comparison to BSF larvae meal [3].…”

“…Black soldier fly (BSF) larvae have gained increasing attention as a potential contributor to sustainable agriculture [1,2]. The utilization of insect larvae in agriculture can have several positive impacts, including the provision of animal feed, waste management, and carbon sequestration [3][4][5][6]. The…”

Effects of hydrolysis and swelling on structural and functional properties of Hermetia illucens L.: insoluble protein in residue fraction

“…In addition, traditional livestock industries cause various infectious diseases, raising safety issues (Lee et al, 2019;Mishyna et al, 2019Mishyna et al, , 2020. Edible insect proteins can overcome the limitations of the traditional livestock industry and represent a future food technology with high growth potential (Lee et al, 2022). Due to this trend, various studies related to edible insect proteins have been conducted, but there are limitations in spite of various advantages (Cruz-López et al, 2022).…”