231 Applications of Insect-derived Ingredients in Animal Diets

Abstract

Abstract Insects have applications in many animal feeding programs for several reasons. First, increased emphasis on sustainable ingredients supports the use of insect-derived ingredients since insects have the capacity to sustainably re-purpose waste streams from food and feed production into nutrient dense ingredients. Second, many animals would naturally consume insects, thus incorporation into feeding programs may enhance animal welfare. Third, nutrient composition and availability is generally very high for insect-derived ingredients relative to requirements and formulae needs, although this varies with insect species, stage of development, feedstock on which they are raised and processing method. In addition to the essential nutrients that can be provided by feeding insect-derived ingredients, components including chitin and proteins and fatty acids with anti-microbial activity provide additional application in animal feeding programs. These concepts will be discussed relative to current knowledge about the primary insect species being reared at commercial scale: house crickets (Acheta domesticus), yellow mealworms (Tenebrio molitor), and black soldier fly larvae (Hermetia illucens).