Insects are emerging as a pivotal component of sustainable food and feed systems, offering efficient bioconversion and a promising solution to global food security. This review explores the current state and future prospects of insect rearing, focusing on key advancements and applications. The review highlights the importance of insects within the circular economy framework, emphasizing their potential to reduce waste while producing high-quality products. It examines insect-mediated bioconversion processes, edible insects as sustainable food source, insect-based feed production for livestock, aquaculture and pets, and the evolving global legislative frameworks governing insect utilization. Life Cycle Assessment is presented as a critical tool for evaluating the environmental impact and sustainability of insect rearing. The review also identifies future challenges, with a particular emphasis on scaling up of the Black Soldier Fly larvae rearing through automation. This technology-driven approach is described as essential for achieving efficiency, scalability, and economic viability in insect farming into mainstream food and feed systems. By integrating environmental management principles with technological and regulatory advances, this review adopts an interdisciplinary perspective that supports the transition toward circular and resource-efficient agri-food systems. Overall, the review contributes to the journal mission by positioning insect rearing as a strategic tool for sustainable development and integrated environmental solutions.

Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) constitute a chemically and structurally heterogeneous family of molecules produced by a wide range of living organisms, including plants, fish, amphibians, mammals, and insects. Their expression is particularly high in hosts frequently exposed to microorganisms, where AMPs play a key role in innate immune responses. Insects represent one of the richest natural sources of AMPs. Over their long evolutionary history, they have developed a highly efficient immune system with AMPs playing a central role in defense against pathogens, enabling them to colonize various habitats. In recent years, interest in AMPs has significantly increased due to the emergence of antibiotic resistance, positioning these peptides as potential therapeutic alternatives for treating infections caused by multi-resistant pathogens. In this study, we investigated the antimicrobial activity of peptide fractions extracted from the hemolymph of Hermetia illucens larvae (Diptera, Stratiomyidae), an insect known for its high expression of AMPs. Larvae were injected separately with either Escherichia coli (Gram-negative) or Micrococcus flavus (Gram-positive), and hemolymph was collected 24 h post-infection, as well as from uninfected larvae. Antimicrobial activity was assessed through microbiological assays, including both agar diffusion tests and microdilution assays. Results demonstrated significant activity against pathogenic bacterial strains, including antibiotic-resistant ones. The Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) were determined for each experimental condition. MIC values ranged from 0.023 to 0.375 µg·µL⁻ ¹ , while MBC values ranged from 0.187 to 0.750 µg·µL⁻ ¹ , depending on the bacterial strain and the infection treatment group. These findings demonstrate the potential of H. illucens -derived AMPs as effective agents against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, including resistant strains, and support their further development as alternatives or adjuvants to conventional antibiotics.

This review presents an in-depth analysis of the synergistic role of molecular biology in advancing forensic entomology. The study discusses how insects associated with decomposing bodies provide critical data for estimating the post-mortem interval (PMI), and how molecular techniques improve species identification and trace analysis. The manuscript examines DNA-based methods such as RAPD, RFLP, and mitochondrial sequencing, along with innovative applications like gene expression profiling and entomotoxicology analysis. Additionally, it presents real case studies illustrating how molecular data from insects can be used not only to estimate PMI but also to identify victims or suspects through human DNA retrieved from insect tissues. These advances confirm the fundamental role of molecular biology in strengthening the reliability and applicability of forensic entomology in legal contexts.

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality worldwide, characterised by poor prognosis and limited responsiveness to chemotherapy. There is a need for new and more effective anticancer agents. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) represent a promising class of biomolecules for this purpose. Naturally occurring in the innate immune system, these peptides can also exert cytotoxic effects against cancer cells, earning them the designation of “anticancer peptides” (ACPs). They have the potential to be a viable support for current chemotherapy schedules due to their selectivity against cancer cells and minor propensity to induce chemoresistance in cells. Insects are an excellent source of AMPs. Among them, due to its ability to thrive in hostile and microorganism-rich environments, we isolated a peptide fraction from Hermetia illucens L. (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) haemolymph to evaluate a possible anticancer activity. We tested Peptide Fractions (PFs) against AGS and KATO III gastric cancer cell lines. Data obtained indicated that PFs, especially those resulting from Escherichia coli and Micrococcus flavus infection (to boost immune response), were able to inhibit tumour cell growth by inducing apoptosis or cell cycle arrest in a cell line-specific manner. These results support further investigation into the use of antimicrobial peptides produced from insects as possible anticancer agents.

Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, characterized by uncontrolled cell growth and multiple mutations. Chemotherapy is often associated with harmful side effects, and cancer cells may become resistant through various mechanisms. New approaches, which are able to address both the toxicity and resistance issues of chemotherapy, are of primary importance in cancer research. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), naturally occurring molecules in the innate immune system of all living organisms, have a wide spectrum of cytotoxic activities against cancer cells and could be a promising alternative to actual chemotherapeutics. Here, we tested peptide fractions, rich in AMPs, extracted from the hemolymph of the larvae of the insect Hermetia illucens on the HT29 and HCT116 human colorectal cancer cells, observing cell growth inhibition by cell accumulation in the G2/M phase and increased apoptosis. Furthermore, the peptide extract induced a significant cytoskeleton reorganization, resulting in reduced motility. These effects were more evident with the peptide fractions obtained from the Escherichia coli-infected larvae. The peptide fractions also enhanced the effects of traditional chemotherapeutics. Overall, the results obtained suggest the presence of biologically active molecules in the hemolymph of H. illucens larvae, confirming that insect-derived peptides are a promising research area in oncology.

Antimicrobial resistance represents a significant global health challenge, implicated in nearly 5 million deaths per year. This study investigates the antimicrobial properties of selected peptides derived from the Black Soldier Fly (BSF), identified in silico . Ten synthesized peptides were evaluated in vitro against Gram-positive bacteria ( Staphylococcus aureus , Bacillus cereus ), Gram-negative bacteria ( Escherichia coli , Pseudomonas aeruginosa ), and fungi ( Aspergillus fumigatus , Candida albicans ). Cytotoxicity was assessed using human lung fibroblasts and red blood cells. Among the peptides, Hill_BB_C7176 demonstrated broad-spectrum antibacterial activity, no cytotoxicity and low hemolytic activity (IC₅₀: 31.6 - >32 µM). The peptide displayed rapid bactericidal activity achieving complete eradication at 8× its minimal inhibitory concentration. Propidium iodide uptake increased in a concentration dependent manner, indicating membrane permeabilization contributing to antibacterial activity. In addition, Hill_BB_C7176 exhibited strong binding affinity to lipopolysaccharide (lipid A). In vivo , Hill_BB_C7176 improved survival of Galleria mellonella larvae infected with S. aureus and E. coli , showing similar survival outcomes to reference antibiotics under the experimental conditions tested. These findings highlight the antibacterial potential of BSF-derived antimicrobial peptides, particularly Hill_BB_C7176, supporting the further research on the antibacterial activity of BSF antimicrobial peptides.