Review articleFrom waste to feed: A review of recent knowledge on insects as producers of protein and fat for animal feeds
Section snippets
Introduction: food waste and animal feed—insects as part of the solution?
Globally, about one-third of all the food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted within the food supply chain [1]. This corresponds to approximately 1.3 billion tonnes of food getting wasted every year but also to a tremendous loss of resources that have been invested in producing food (e.g. water, land, fossil fuels). At the same time, the compound feed industry exceeded one billion tonnes of production in 2018, generating a turnover of more than € 360 billion [2]. Within the
Feed for insects and insects as feed—European legislation
The main aim of the food production chain is to produce nutritious and safe food for the consumers, which means to ensure ‘food safety’. When food comes from livestock animals, it is also necessary to provide nutritious and safe feed for the animals, that is to guarantee ‘feed safety’. Feed and Food safety regulations are therefore in place to ensure that feed and food stuff do not represent a danger to human health, animal health or the environment. Recently, the EU adopted the ‘Circular
Insects grown on waste material
In the EU, only selected types of waste materials of vegetable origin are allowed for use in insect production, leading to some concerns about sustainability, as products which could be used as animal feed or human food will have a higher environmental impact than when using organic side streams [11∗, 12, 13∗]. It has to be pointed out that technologies used to produce insects are still in their infancy, and there is large space for improvement, both regarding the type of substrate used to grow
Insect-based ingredients in compound feeds
Among the ingredients used to produce compound feeds, those rich in proteins constitute the most important and expensive part of the diet. In particular, animal-derived feedstuffs provide highly digestible proteins with great biological value. A wide array of studies, with an especially large increase in published studies the last few years, have proven the suitability of insects as a high-quality source of nutrients for animal feeds [5∗, 6∗, 7,9].
When formulating diets, the digestibility and
Insect ingredients with health-promoting properties
There is substantial evidence that the use of diets with insect meals could have positive effects on animals’ immune system and microbiota [27] and recent results are reported in Table 4. The increased diversity in microbiota has been attributed to the content of chitin in insect meals, which is not digestible in most animals and promote growth of certain groups of bacteria, with positive effects on gut health. Insect chitin is also endorsed with immunostimulating effects [27]. The lipid
Conclusions
The mass production of insects on waste can help to reduce the environmental impact of food waste as well as generate a sustainable novel feed ingredient for the animal-feed sector. Applied research shows promising results and insect-derived products are currently recognised as one of the most interesting and sustainable sources of nutrients. Insect-derived products also show potential as health enhancers, being a possible source of ingredients for feeds targeting specific challenges or life
Funding
This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.
Author contributions
All authors equally contributed to the conceptualization, writing, review and editing of this paper.
Declaration of Competing Interest
Nothing declared.
Acknowledgements
All authors thank the SUSINCHAIN (SUStainable INsect CHAIN—GA n. 861976—H2020_IA) project.
References (58)
- et al.
Towards transparent valorization of food surplus, waste and loss: clarifying definitions, food waste hierarchy, and role in the circular economy
Sci Total Environ
(2020) - et al.
Sustainable use of Hermetia illucens insect biomass for feed and food: attributional and consequential life cycle assessment
Resour Conserv Recycl
(2019) - et al.
Insect-based diets high in lauric acid reduce liver lipids in freshwater Atlantic salmon
Aquacult Nutr
(2019) - et al.
Partially defatted black soldier fly larva meal inclusion in piglet diets: effects on the growth performance, nutrient digestibility, blood profile, gut morphology and histological features
J Anim Sci Biotechnol
(2019) - et al.
Graded incorporation of defatted yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) diet improves growth performance and nutrient retention
Animals
(2019) - et al.
Modulation of nutrient composition of black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae by feeding seaweed-enriched media
PloS One
(2017) - et al.
Can the inclusion of black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) in diet affect the flesh quality/nutritional traits of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) after freezing and cooking?
Int J Food Sci Nutr
(2019) - et al.
Nutritional value of different insect larvae meals as protein sources for European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) juveniles
Aquaculture
(2020) - et al.
Catching black soldier fly for meagre: growth, whole-body fatty acid profile and metabolic responses
Aquaculture
(2020) - et al.
First insights on Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens L.) larvae meal dietary administration in Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baerii Brandt) juveniles
Aquaculture
(2020)
Assessment of dietary supplementation levels of black soldier fly, Hemertia illucens, pre-pupae meal for juvenile nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus
Southwest Entomol
Nutritional effects of the dietary inclusion of partially defatted Hermetia illucens larva meal in Muscovy duck
J Anim Sci Biotechnol
Black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) as dietary source for laying quails: live performance, and egg physico-chemical quality, sensory profile and storage stability
Animals
Black soldier fly and gut health in broiler chickens: insights into the relationship between cecal microbiota and intestinal mucin composition
J Anim Sci Biotechnol
The State of Food and Agriculture 2019. Moving forward on food loss and waste reduction
Global feed survey
Feed & Food statistical yearbook 2018
Insect-based bioconversion: value from food waste
Animals fed insect-based diets: state-of-the-art on digestibility, performance and product quality
Animals
Insect composition and uses in animal feeding applications: a brief review
Ann Entomol Soc Am
Insects as raw materials in compound feed for aquaculture
The potential role of insects as feed: a multi-perspective review
Animals
The European Insect Sector today: challenges, opportunities and regulatory landscape. IPIFF vision paper on the future of the insect sector towards 2030
Conversion of organic resources by black soldier fly larvae: legislation, efficiency and environmental impact
J Clean Prod
Black Soldier Fly biowaste treatment – assessment of global warming potential
Waste Manag
Black soldier fly larvae meal can replace fish meal in diets of seawater phase Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)
Aquaculture
Housefly (Musca domestica) larvae preparations after removing the hydrophobic fraction are effective alternatives to fish meal in aquaculture feed for red seabream (Pagrus major)
Fishes
Partially defatted Tenebrio molitor larvae meal in diets for grow-out rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum): effects on growth performance, diet digestibility and metabolic responses
Animals
High-throughput sequencing of gut microbiota in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) fed larval and pre-pupae stages of black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens)
Aquaculture
Cited by (90)
Circular and inclusive utilization of alternative proteins: A European and Mediterranean perspective
2024, Current Opinion in Green and Sustainable ChemistryApplications of insect nutrition resources in animal production
2024, Journal of Agriculture and Food ResearchInsect-based agri-food waste valorization: Agricultural applications and roles of insect gut microbiota
2024, Environmental Science and EcotechnologyIntroduction to the challenges and chances regarding the utilization of nitrogen-rich by-products and waste streams
2023, Current Opinion in Green and Sustainable Chemistry