Modulating the Fatty Acid Profiles of Hermetia illucens Larvae Fats by Dietary Enrichment with Different Oilseeds: A Sustainable Way for Future Use in Feed and Food

Abstract

Edible insects such as the black soldier fly Hermetia illucens L. represent a potential and sustainable source of nutrients for food and feed due to their valuable nutritional composition, which can be modulated through dietary enrichment. The high content of saturated fatty acid (FA) of Hermetia illucens larvae fats can be modulated through dietary enrichment as a result of adding vegetable oils in the rearing substrate. Therefore, the present research aims to highlight the effects of a 10% addition of vegetable oils from five dietary fat sources (linseed oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, rapeseed oil, and hempseed oil) on the growth, development, reproductive performance, and the fat and fatty acids profile of H. illucens. Oil inclusion in the larval diet improved (p < 0.05) the weight of larvae, prepupae, pupae, and imago without influencing (p > 0.05) the egg clutch weight and the number of eggs in the clutch. In addition, the larvae fatty acid profile was different (p < 0.001) according to the oil type, because the unsaturated FAs (UFA) increased from 11.23 to 48.74% of FAME, as well as according to the larvae age, because the saturated FAs decreased from 85.86 to 49.56% of FAME. Linseed oil inclusion led to the improvement of the FA profile at 10 days age of larvae, followed by hempseed and rapeseed oil. These three dietary treatments recorded the highest concentrations in UFA (29.94–48.74% of FAME), especially in polyunsaturated FA (18.91–37.22% of FAME) from the omega-3 series (3.19–15.55% of FAME) and the appropriate n–6/n–3 ratio. As a result, the degree of the lipid polyunsaturation index increased (17.76–41.44) and the value of the atherogenic (3.22–1.22) and thrombogenic (1.43–0.48) indices decreased. Based on the obtained results, it can be concluded that enriching the larval diet with these oils rich in UFA can modulate the larvae FA profile, making them suitable sources of quality fats for feed and indirectly for food.

Improvements in Performance of Nursery Pigs Provided with Supplemental Oil Derived from Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens) Larvae

“…The composition of the BSFL oil was very similar to the values reported previously [ 15 ]. Although the composition of BSFL can be manipulated [ 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 ], the conditions of rearing and dietary substrate used in commercial production of BSFL are tightly controlled as part of a quality assurance program with the aim of yielding products with a specific and consistent nutrient profile.…”

“…The main fatty acid present in BSFL oil is lauric acid (C12:0), averaging 42.4% of total fatty acids, with myristic (11.0%), palmitic (13.7%), oleic (13.9%), and linoleic (16.2%) acid representing other fatty acids present at large quantities [ 15 ]. It should be noted that the fatty acid composition of BSFL oil can be easily modulated by using different rearing diets to achieve specific targeted fatty acid composition, although lauric acid typically remains present at high concentrations [ 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 ].…”

Fat Quality Impacts the Effect of a High-Fat Diet on the Fatty Acid Profile, Life History Traits and Gene Expression in Drosophila melanogaster

“…We found that the intake of an HFD led to fat source-specific shifts in the fatty acid pattern of D. melanogaster , implying an efficient absorption of the dietary FAs. This may be relevant in the context of the production of edible insects used as food and feed [ 63 ] because it allows one to modulate the FA pattern of the insects via the choice of an appropriate dietary fat source. A remarkable exception was the long chain unsaturated FAs DHA and EPA (C20 and C22), which are present in high concentrations in FO.…”

Quality Characteristics of Black Soldier Flies Produced by Different Substrates

“…This ability to convert waste into protein makes BSF production an attractive solution for reducing waste and increasing the sustainability of animal feed production. Additionally, the larvae can be raised in a closed system, reducing the risk of environmental contamination and promoting more efficient use of resources [ 4 , 20 , 21 ]. The use of different botanical waste products as feed for BSF larvae can significantly affect their growth performance, conversion efficiency, and larval quality.…”