The expected global population growth to 9.7 billion people in 2050 and the significant change in global dietary patterns require an increase in global food production by about 60%. The protein supply for feed and food is most critical and requires an extension in protein sources. Edible insects can upgrade low-grade side streams of food production into high-quality protein, amino acids and vitamins in a very efficient way. Insects are considered to be the “missing link” in the food chain of a circular and sustainable economy. Insects and insect-derived products have entered the European market since first being acknowledged as a valuable protein source for feed and food production in around 2010. However, today, scaling up the insect value chain in Europe is progressing at a relatively slow pace. The mission of SUSINCHAIN (SUStainable INsect CHAIN)—a four-year project which has received funding from the European Commission—is to contribute to novel protein provision for feed and food in Europe by overcoming the remaining barriers for increasing the economic viability of the insect value chain and opening markets by combining forces in a comprehensive multi-actor consortium. The overall project objective is to test, pilot and demonstrate recently developed technologies, products and processes, to realize a shift up to Technology Readiness Level 6 or higher. In addition to these crucial activities, the project engages with stakeholders in the insect protein supply chain for feed and food by living labs and workshops. These actions provide the necessary knowledge and data for actors in the insect value chain to decrease the cost price of insect products, process insects more efficiently and market insect protein applications in animal feed and regular human diets that are safe and sustainable. This paves the way for further upscaling and commercialization of the European insect sector.

Black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) are considered a commercially viable solution for global organic waste problems. The objective of this study was to assess the feasibility of rearing BSFL on a wide range of low-value waste streams and its potential to transform them into high-quality animal feed and fertilizer. Six waste streams of different origins were selected and each tested in triplicate. Several parameters were analysed: growth performance, waste reduction index (WRI), conversion efficiency (ECI) and larval composition. Frass composition was also analysed. Larvae reared on fast food waste (FFW) had the highest ECI and WRI and the lowest values when reared on pig manure slurry mixed with silage grass (PMLSG) and slaughter waste (SW). The highest protein content was found for larvae reared on mushroom stems (MS) although this substrate had the lowest protein content. Moreover, the frass nutritional profile was proportionally related to the substrate’s nutritional profile: the protein-rich substrate (SW) resulted in protein-rich frass and the low-protein substrate (MS) resulted in protein-poor frass. The same was true for the lipid content. In conclusion, this study showed that BSFL can be successfully reared on a wide range of waste streams that can affect the larval and frass chemical compositions.

Insects or products derived from insects are considered as a valuable feed ingredient for aquaculture, poultry, and pigs but also exert possible secondary effects of health stimulators in livestock as reported in literature. Health benefits attributed to insects can create additional value in the insect chain. Three categories of bioactive compounds in insects are reported in this desk study: antimicrobial peptides (such as α-helical peptides, cysteine-rich peptides, proline-rich peptides, glycine-rich peptides), fatty acids (especially lauric acid), and polysaccharides (especially chitin and chitosan). The review summarises the recent literature on these three categories. Antimicrobial properties or immuno-modulating effects may contribute to reduce the use of antibiotics and to avoid antibiotic resistance in livestock when these insect products are included in animal diets. Furthermore, antioxidant capacity of insect-proteins might reduce collateral tissue damage. Health stimulating effects of insect products may result in additional applications of insect products in animal feed for livestock.

This review is focusing on effects of inclusion of insect products in pig diets on digestibility, performance, product quality, and health parameters. In 2019 pig feed accounts for 23% of the global feed production. Soybean meal is the most common protein source in pig diets. A shift towards more sustainable feed ingredients can improve the sustainability of entire pig production. Novel protein sources currently evaluated in diets for piglets and growing pigs are insect-based ingredients. Insects are able to convert organic biomass into high-quality protein. Currently the use of insects as protein source in pig diets is not allowed due to transmissible spongiform encephalopathies regulation but it is expected that this will be allowed in the near future. Research efforts on effects of inclusion of insect products on nutrient digestibility, growth performance, product quality and pig health are therefore increasing. Nutrient digestibility of evaluated insect proteins was comparable with traditional protein sources. Nutrient digestibility of insect-based diets as well as effects on growth performance in pigs fed insect-based diets differed between studies. The differences in responses are mainly due to changes in diet ingredients and nutrient composition when insect products are included. Health related parameters were not affected by dietary inclusion of insect products. In general it can be stated that differences in results between studies may be due to different insect species and life stages being used, differences in nutritional value of the insect products, in dietary inclusion levels, in processing techniques applied, effects on palatability of the diet, (weaning) age of the animals involved and research methods applied. Overall, insect products seem to be a good alternative to partly replace traditional protein-rich ingredients in pig diets without adversely affecting growth performance, product quality and health, but more standardised research is required to reduce differences between studies.

Insects can play an important role to upgrade waste streams into high-grade proteins and fats as food and feed ingredients or non-food products. The aim of this research was to assess the feasibility to use waste streams with a low value for direct application as animal feed as substrates to grow BSF larvae in terms of larval growth rate, waste reduction index, and efficiency of conversion of ingested feed. The growth of black soldier fly (BSF), Hermetia illucens larvae and conversion of biowaste was assessed in triplicate in biowaste substrates: chicken feed (CF; reference diet), pig manure solid (PMS), Betafert^® solid (BTFS), swill (SW), olive pulp (OP), pig manure liquid mixed with chicken feed (PMLCF), and silage grass (SG). Per kilogram fresh substrate 2500 starter (8-days-old, second instar) larvae were incubated in 21 plastic containers (75 × 47 × 15 cm). The BSF larvae were fed according to a batch feeding system. Highest growth rate was found in larvae reared on SW (13.4 mg/d). Larval growth rate was even higher than in larvae reared on the reference substrate CF (7.2 mg/d). Growth rate in larvae reared on PMLCF (7.3 mg/d) did not differ from CF, whereas growth rate of larvae reared on PMS (3.2 mg/d) was lower than on CF. Growth rate of larvae reared on BTFS, OP and SG was very low (0.6, 0.2 and 0.7 mg/d, respectively). Waste Reduction Index (WRI) was highest on SW (11.3), followed by PMLCF (9.3), and both were higher than WRI on CF (8.5). Waste Reduction Index further decreased in descending order from PMS, SG, BTFS to OP (7.6, 4.0, 2.9 and 1.7, respectively). The Efficiency of Conversion of Ingested substrate (ECI) was highest on SW (0.31), followed in descending order by PMLCF, CF and PMS (0.25, 0.21 and 0.18, respectively). The substrates OP, BTFS and SG (0.16, 0.15 and 0.14, respectively) resulted in a lower ECI than other substrates. Highest CO₂ and lowest NH₃ concentrations were found above substrates with the highest larval growth performances. This study showed that BSF larvae can be reared on different biowaste substrates; the growth rate of the larvae was extremely high on SW. The effects of chemical composition and physical properties of the substrates on larval growth and gas emissions should be further considered.