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Majority of the work done in Black Soldier Fly (BSF) application is for poultry and pigs, although some interesting new work has been done on the viability of BSF as a probiotic creep feed/milk replacer.
Chickens are natural scavengers and have a palatability preference for Black Soldier Fly larvae (BFSL). The high levels of calcium in BSF products are favorable for bone growth and development and is a considerable advantage in layer chicken diets. Other advantages include increased yolk and albumin mass and higher protein quality. The cholesterol content of the eggs can also be successfully reduced. The added natural antibacterial and antioxidant attributes of BSF products are a nutritive tool to reduce traditional medicinal inclusions to support flock health and welfare in poultry diets. Broiler formulations have seen inclusion levels of up to 20% full fat larvae, successfully improving growth parameters, carcass characteristics and gut health.
The use of Black Soldier Fly meal and oil in pig diets has supported improved piglet viability, growth rates and reduced incidence of disease. Live or whole dried larvae can be fed to piglets to improve feed conversion ratios, either inside their feed ration or as a supplement to reduce total feed consumption whilst maintaining growth rate. The lauric acid in BSFL oil can be consumed by sows and then carried over as an additional immunity boost to sucking piglets, reducing their vulnerability to pathogens.
A better understanding of insect products allows for reduced skepticism and higher acceptance of sustainable ingredient inclusions.
This work has received funding from the EU Horizon Europe research and innovation Program NESTLER project under Grant Agreement No. 101060762.
