Insects as animal feed - Literature review

SUMMARY Insects as a sustainable protein source have a growing importance as protein requirement of the word is increasing. Insects and their derived products – excluding live insects – that are intended to be used in animal feed are considered asanimal by-products and allowed for use only in the feed of aquatic- and pet animals. For other farm animals – with the exception of ruminants – only the hydrolysed form can be given. According to the recommendation of the European Food Safety Authorities the following species are eligible for farming purposes (EU Regulation No 2017/893): black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens), common housefly (Musca domestica), yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor), lesser mealworm (Alphitobius diaperinus), house cricket (Acheta domesticus), banded cricket (Gryllodes sigillatus) and field cricket (Gryllus assimilis). It should be noted that the fed bandoes not apply towhole live insects nor to insect derived fats. According to the recently conducted studies insect meal can replace fishmeal, but in most of the species not completely. As a negative effect, the omega-3fatty acid content of the fish meat decreases with the use of insect meals. In broiler chickens insect meal may replace other plant or animal origin proteins completely while in laying hens such high level of application reduces the pro-duction. Most of the studies suggest 50% instead of complete replacement in order to keep the high level of egg production and desired egg size. Insects seem to have several positive health effects, such as the antibacterial proteins which have an enhancing effect on the immune system. The chitin and lauric acid content – which is very high in black solder fly larvae – have positive effects on the gut microbes by reducing the presence of potentially pathogenic bacteria and increasing the beneficial ones.Whole insects, their preparations and other derived products are qualified as ‘novel food’ under EU Regulation 2015/2283, which is applicable from 1 January 2018