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Animals
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Insect Farming, Biomass Processing and Practical Applications in Animal Nutrition
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Insect Farming, Biomass Processing and Practical Applications in Animal Nutrition

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Nutrition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (5 January 2023) | Viewed by 34250

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Mateusz Rawski

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Guest Editor
Department of Zoology, Laboratory of Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture, Poznań University of Life Science, Wojska Polskiego 28, 60-625 Poznań, Poland
Interests: aquaculture; fish nutrition; exotic pets; feed additives; GIT microbiology; insects as food and feed; alternative protein processing; bone mineralization; GIT development
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Bartosz Kierończyk

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Animal Nutrition, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Wołyńska 33, 60-637 Poznań, Poland
Interests: non-ruminant nutrition; poultry; companion animals; feed additives; insects as food and feed; alternative protein and energy source; GIT microbiology; GIT physiology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The idea of using insects in animal nutrition has emerged as inspiring and promising novelty among the alternative feed materials. The recent years have been a period of rapid development and upscaling of insect farming as well as research on a wide spectrum of insect-derived feed materials used as an alternative protein and energy source for animal nutrition. This brings us to the point in which we should consider insect biomass as a source of meals, pulps, and fats for sustainable feed materials available on the feed markets worldwide. Moreover, invertebrates are rich in functional and health beneficial substances, i.e., antimicrobial proteins (AMPs), chitin, and lauric acid.

The challenge for the next decade is the sustainable development of this branch of animal production, including methods of large-scale farming and automation, insect nutrition, and selective breeding. Moreover, insect use in animal nutrition must face the vision far beyond the simple idea of fresh biomass application and, thus, conservation, processing, and separation of fat, protein, chitin, and other valuable components. In the practical application area of animal nutrition, more studies are needed on production technology and quality of feeds containing insect product as well as their role in the circular economy and effects on animal production sustainability, economy, growth performance, feed utilization, gastrointestinal microbiota, physiological status, and the health and development of animals.

Considering the abovementioned circumstances found worldwide, we would like to encourage leading scientists working on the topics of insect farming, processing, and application in animal nutrition to submit original research or review papers.

In particular, we are pleased to invite original research papers and reviews that address any aspect of insect production, processing, and usage in animal nutrition. Topics of special interest are sustainable technologies of insect farming, practical and theoretical models of automatic solutions for large-scale objects, upscaling models, parental stocks and rearing management, nutrition and feed application, breeding value assessment and genetic selection, sustainability assessment, biomass conservation, drying methods, and separation of protein and fat as well as their effects on product nutritive value and quality. The final area of interest is in the practical application of insect-derived products on nutritive value and quality of complete feeds and calculation of their diets – including corrected methods of protein level estimation, the widely understood effects on animal metabolism, and the assessment of insect application on sustainability and economy of animal production.

In particular, papers on the practical use of insect products concerning the nutrition in all groups of animals are welcome, including aquaculture, poultry, pigs, cattle, companion, exotic, and wild animals.

Dr. Mateusz Rawski
Dr. Bartosz Kierończyk
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • insect farming
  • insect nutrition
  • biomass processing
  • fat and oil separation
  • insects in animal nutrition
  • nutritional value
  • sustainability and economy assessment
  • circular economy in animal nutrition

Published Papers (8 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 1209 KiB  
Article
Assessing Nursery-Finishing Pig Manures on Growth of Black Soldier Fly Larvae
by Jianwei Hao, Shuang Liu, Aiguo Luo, Jia Zhao, Shengli Shi, Yun Zhang and Chujun Li
Animals 2023, 13(3), 452; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ani13030452 - 28 Jan 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1768
Abstract
Livestock manure is an important component of agricultural organic waste, and in recent years, with the development of research on the bioconversion of manure, BSFs have been proven to be useful in the treatment of a variety of livestock wastes. In-depth research on [...] Read more.
Livestock manure is an important component of agricultural organic waste, and in recent years, with the development of research on the bioconversion of manure, BSFs have been proven to be useful in the treatment of a variety of livestock wastes. In-depth research on the composition of manure and its effect on the development of BSFL is, however, very scarce. The purpose of this study was to identify the parameters that influenced the growth of BSFL that was fed fattening pig manure. The pH, moisture, and nutrients of the fattening manures (namely, nursery, growing, and finishing pig manures) were measured. To examine the influence of manure types on larval growth, 100 larvae were inoculated in 100 g of each type of manure in triplicate. According to the findings, larvae fed finishing pig manure had the lowest dry weight (30.2 ± 6.1 mg) compared to those fed growing (58.2 ± 7.3 mg) or nursery (65.5 ± 6.2 mg) pig manure. The correlation coefficients (r) between the nutrients in the manure and the weight of the larvae were calculated. Hemicellulose had the greatest |r| value (0.9569). Further research revealed that larvae raised on hemicellulase-pretreated finishing pig manure frequently weighed 21–30% (days 2–8) more than larvae raised on control manure. In conclusion, hemicellulose was a significant component that might hinder larval growth. The results of this study could be used to improve the system before it is put into use. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insect Farming, Biomass Processing and Practical Applications in Animal Nutrition)
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16 pages, 1883 KiB  
Article
Comparison of Nutritional Profiles of Super Worm (Zophobas morio) and Yellow Mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) as Alternative Feeds Used in Animal Husbandry: Is Super Worm Superior?
by Danka Dragojlović, Olivera Đuragić, Lato Pezo, Ljiljana Popović, Slađana Rakita, Zorica Tomičić and Nedeljka Spasevski
Animals 2022, 12(10), 1277; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ani12101277 - 17 May 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3819
Abstract
Edible insects are acknowledged as a valuable nutritional source and promising alternative to traditional feed ingredients, while the optimization of rearing conditions is required for their wider utilization in the animal feed industry. The main goal of this study was to compare and [...] Read more.
Edible insects are acknowledged as a valuable nutritional source and promising alternative to traditional feed ingredients, while the optimization of rearing conditions is required for their wider utilization in the animal feed industry. The main goal of this study was to compare and optimize the rearing conditions of the two species’ larvae and identify the most favorable nutritive composition of the full-fat larval meal. For that purpose, Tenebrio molitor (TM) and Zophobas morio (ZM) were reared on three different substrates and harvested after three time periods. An artificial neural network (ANN) with multi-objective optimization (MOO) was used to investigate the influence between the observed parameters as well as to optimize and determine rearing conditions. The optimization of the larval rearing conditions showed that the best nutritive composition of full-fat larval meal was obtained for ZM larvae reared on a mixture of cabbage, carrot and flaxseed and harvested after 104 days. The best nutritive composition contained 39.52% protein, 32% crude fat, 44.01% essential amino acids, 65.21 mg/100 g Ca and 651.15 mg/100 g P with a favorable ratio of 1.5 of n6/n3 fatty acids. Additionally, the incorporation of flaxseed in the larval diet resulted in an increase in C18:3n3 content in all samples. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insect Farming, Biomass Processing and Practical Applications in Animal Nutrition)
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17 pages, 1363 KiB  
Article
Dietary Fish Meal Replacement with Hermetia illucens and Tenebrio molitor Larval Meals Improves the Growth Performance and Nutriphysiological Status of Ide (Leuciscus idus) Juveniles
by Natalia Homska, Joanna Kowalska, Joanna Bogucka, Ewa Ziółkowska, Mateusz Rawski, Bartosz Kierończyk and Jan Mazurkiewicz
Animals 2022, 12(10), 1227; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ani12101227 - 10 May 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2372
Abstract
The ide (Leuciscus idus) is a native European species of rheophilic cyprinid fish whose wild population status is dependent on conservation efforts, particularly regular restocking. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of including insect meals as a component in the [...] Read more.
The ide (Leuciscus idus) is a native European species of rheophilic cyprinid fish whose wild population status is dependent on conservation efforts, particularly regular restocking. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of including insect meals as a component in the diet of ide juveniles on their growth performance, feed utilization, and nutriphysiological status. Four diets were formulated: three with insect meals, HI–with 20% Hermetia illucens meal, TM–with 20% Tenebrio molitor meal, and ZM–with 20% Zophobas morio meal, and the control group diet, CON–fish meal with no insect component. The effects of the various diets on the efficiency of rearing ide juveniles were assessed based on fish growth parameters, feed utilization parameters, somatic indices, and intestinal and hepatopancreatic histomorphology. The highest increase in fish weight gain and the protein efficiency ratio was observed in the HI and TM groups, while the lowest values were observed in the CON and ZM groups. Comparable results were noted for the feed conversion ratio, which was most favorable in the HI and TM groups and increased in the ZM group. The use of black soldier fly and mealworm larval meal in the diets of ide juveniles had a positive effect on rearing results and overall fish health. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insect Farming, Biomass Processing and Practical Applications in Animal Nutrition)
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14 pages, 4919 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of an Innovative and Sustainable Pre-Commercial Compound as Replacement of Fish Meal in Diets for Rainbow Trout during Pre-Fattening Phase: Effects on Growth Performances, Haematological Parameters and Fillet Quality Traits
by Ümit Acar, Alessia Giannetto, Daniela Giannetto, Osman Sabri Kesbiç, Sevdan Yılmaz, Alessandro Romano, Rifat Tezel, Ali Türker, Kenan Güllü and Francesco Fazio
Animals 2021, 11(12), 3547; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ani11123547 - 14 Dec 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2729
Abstract
The aim of the study was to determine the potential and sustainable use of pre-commercial product ITTINSECT™ APS V1 as a major protein source in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) diets. A 60-day feeding experiment was conducted to potentially use ITTINSECT as [...] Read more.
The aim of the study was to determine the potential and sustainable use of pre-commercial product ITTINSECT™ APS V1 as a major protein source in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) diets. A 60-day feeding experiment was conducted to potentially use ITTINSECT as fish meal replacement in the diets of rainbow trout. Five isonitrogenous in dry matter (38% crude protein) and isolipidic (15% crude lipid) diets were produced: a control diet (fishmeal-based) (ITT0) and four experimental diets replacing fishmeal by 25 (ITT25), 50 (ITT50), 75 (ITT75) and 100 (ITT100) %, with ITTINSECT™ APS V1. Triplicate tanks, containing 15 fish each (65.81 ± 1.26 g), were hand-fed to apparent satiation twice every day during the experiment. At the end of the feeding trial, significantly higher growth performance was observed in the group fed ITTM25 and ITTM50 diets. This performance was supported by growth-related gene expressions analyzed in muscle; significantly higher GH and IGF-I genes expression levels were determined in ITT25 and ITT50 when compared to control (ITT0) (p < 0.05). While no significant differences were found between the hematology values (p > 0.05), serum total protein, globulins and glucose levels were significantly different between experimental groups (p < 0.05). In addition to this, the immune-related genes such as TNF-α, IL8 and IL1-β expression levels were determined to be significantly different (p < 0.05). In conclusion, in order to achieve the best growth performance in rainbow trout and enhance sustainable aquaculture practices, replacement of fish meal with up to 50% ITTINSECT™ APS V1 in diets for rainbow trout is suggested. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insect Farming, Biomass Processing and Practical Applications in Animal Nutrition)
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10 pages, 233 KiB  
Article
Possibility of Using House Cricket (Acheta domesticus) or Mulberry Silkworm (Bombyx mori) Pupae Meal to Replace Poultry Meal in Canine Diets Based on Health and Nutrient Digestibility
by Sathita Areerat, Pipatpong Chundang, Chalermpol Lekcharoensuk and Attawit Kovitvadhi
Animals 2021, 11(9), 2680; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ani11092680 - 13 Sep 2021
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 4885
Abstract
There has been increasing interest in using insects as sustainable protein sources for humans and animals. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the possibility of substituting poultry meal with house cricket (Acheta domesticus: AD) or mulberry silkworm (Bombyx mori: [...] Read more.
There has been increasing interest in using insects as sustainable protein sources for humans and animals. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the possibility of substituting poultry meal with house cricket (Acheta domesticus: AD) or mulberry silkworm (Bombyx mori: BM) pupae. Fifty healthy adult mixed-breed dogs were selected and divided into five experimental groups, which were fed, in amounts based on daily energy requirement, with a control diet, a diet with 10% AD, with 20% AD, with 7% BM, or with 14% BM. Days 0–22 and 23–28 of the experiment served as the adaptation and collection phases, respectively. Haematology and blood chemistry were collected at days 0, 14, and 28, and body weight, body condition score, feed intake, faecal output, faecal score, faecal moisture, and apparent total tract digestibility of dry matter and nutrients were measured during the collection phase. The results from this study suggested that AD and BM can replace poultry meal without any adverse consequences on all measured parameters (p > 0.05). Therefore, AD at 20% or BM at 14% can be used in canine diet formulations. However, long-term feeding trials should be conducted and should focus on clinical signs relating to hypersensitivity disorders. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insect Farming, Biomass Processing and Practical Applications in Animal Nutrition)
15 pages, 503 KiB  
Article
Insect Larvae Meal (Hermetia illucens) as a Sustainable Protein Source of Canine Food and Its Impacts on Nutrient Digestibility and Fecal Quality
by Amr Abd El-Wahab, Laura Meyer, Mareike Kölln, Bussarakam Chuppava, Volker Wilke, Christian Visscher and Josef Kamphues
Animals 2021, 11(9), 2525; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ani11092525 - 27 Aug 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 6741
Abstract
Insect larvae meal has been proposed as a sustainable protein source for animal diets. This study aimed to provide information on including black soldier fly larvae meal (BSFL; Hermetia illucens) in comparison to poultry meal (PM) in the canine diet with regard [...] Read more.
Insect larvae meal has been proposed as a sustainable protein source for animal diets. This study aimed to provide information on including black soldier fly larvae meal (BSFL; Hermetia illucens) in comparison to poultry meal (PM) in the canine diet with regard to digestibility and fecal characteristics. In light of this trend, the levels of PM or BSFL meal were added to replace about 30% of dry matter of the basic extruded diet. Six Beagle dogs (BW 9.64 kg) were included in a cross-over experiment. Dogs fed a BSFL meal-based diet showed higher (p < 0.05) apparent protein digestibility (82.3%) compared to those offered a PM-based diet (80.5%). Apparent digestibility for fat was higher (p < 0.05) in groups fed the BSFL meal-based diet (94.5%) compared to those offered the PM-based diet (91.6%). The fecal consistency scores for dogs fed both diets were within an acceptable range (well-formed and firm). Fecal dry matter content was higher (p < 0.05) for dogs fed the PM-based diet (33.0%) compared to those offered the BSFL meal-based diet (28.0%). Including BSFL meal in dog food can be an appropriate source of protein without any negative effects on nutrient digestibility and fecal quality. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insect Farming, Biomass Processing and Practical Applications in Animal Nutrition)
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20 pages, 2411 KiB  
Article
Modified Black Soldier Fly Larva Fat in Broiler Diet: Effects on Performance, Carcass Traits, Blood Parameters, Histomorphological Features and Gut Microbiota
by Sihem Dabbou, Angelo Lauwaerts, Ilario Ferrocino, Ilaria Biasato, Federico Sirri, Marco Zampiga, Stefania Bergagna, Giulia Pagliasso, Marta Gariglio, Elena Colombino, Carlos Garcés Narro, Francesco Gai, Maria Teresa Capucchio, Laura Gasco, Luca Cocolin and Achille Schiavone
Animals 2021, 11(6), 1837; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ani11061837 - 21 Jun 2021
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 4636
Abstract
In this study, a total of 200 male broiler chickens (Ross 308) were assigned to four dietary treatments (5 pens/treatment and 10 birds/pen) for two feeding phases: starter (0–11 days of age) and grower-finisher (11–33 days of age). A basal diet containing soy [...] Read more.
In this study, a total of 200 male broiler chickens (Ross 308) were assigned to four dietary treatments (5 pens/treatment and 10 birds/pen) for two feeding phases: starter (0–11 days of age) and grower-finisher (11–33 days of age). A basal diet containing soy oil (SO) as added fat was used as control group (C), tested against three experimental diets where the SO was partially substituted by BSF larvae fat (BSF) or one of two types of modified BSF larvae fat (MBSF1 and MBSF2, respectively). The two modified BSF larvae fats had a high and low ratio of monobutyrin to monoglycerides of medium chain fatty acid, respectively. Diet did not influence the growth or slaughter performance, pH, color, or the chemical composition of breast and thigh muscles, gut morphometric indices, or histopathological alterations in all the organs. As far as fecal microbiota are concerned, MBSF1 and MBSF2 diets reduced the presence of Clostridium and Corynebacterium, which can frequently cause infection in poultry. In conclusion, modified BSF larva fat may positively modulate the fecal microbiota of broiler chickens without influencing the growth performance and intestinal morphology or showing any adverse histopathological alternations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insect Farming, Biomass Processing and Practical Applications in Animal Nutrition)
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Review

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17 pages, 351 KiB  
Review
Insects in Pet Food Industry—Hope or Threat?
by Jagoda Kępińska-Pacelik and Wioletta Biel
Animals 2022, 12(12), 1515; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ani12121515 - 10 Jun 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 5209
Abstract
Due to the increasing global population, the world cannot currently support the well-known techniques of food production due to their harmful effects on land use, water consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions. The key answer is a solution based on the use of edible [...] Read more.
Due to the increasing global population, the world cannot currently support the well-known techniques of food production due to their harmful effects on land use, water consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions. The key answer is a solution based on the use of edible insects. They have always been present in the diet of animals. They are characterized by a very good nutritional value (e.g., high protein content and contents of essential amino acids and fatty acids, including lauric acid), and products with them receive positive results in palatability tests. Despite the existing literature data on the benefits of the use of insects as a protein source, their acceptance by consumers and animal caregivers remains problematic. In spite of the many advantages of using insects in pet food, it is necessary to analyze the risk of adverse food reactions, including allergic reactions that may be caused by insect consumption. Other hazards relate to the contamination of insects. For example, they can be contaminated with anthropogenic factors during breeding, packaging, cooking, or feeding. These contaminants include the presence of bacteria, mold fungi, mycotoxins, and heavy metals. However, insects can be used in the pet food industry. This is supported by the evolutionary adaptation of their wild ancestors to the eating of insects in the natural environment. The chemical composition of insects also corresponds to the nutritional requirements of dogs. It should be borne in mind that diets containing insect and their effects on animals require careful analysis. The aim of this article is to discuss the nutritional value of insects and their possible applications in the nutrition of companion animals, especially dogs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insect Farming, Biomass Processing and Practical Applications in Animal Nutrition)
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