ISSUE FOCUS 46 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE October 2022 "Insects present an exciting and rewarding new choice in the feed and food industry. Getting into this newest trend or incorporating it into your existing business can be daunting; however, technological advances can ease this change and make it smoother. In these exciting times, technologies such as animal feed formulation software can offer significant support." Insect protein is becoming more and more common for use in human food and animal feed. The current best-quality protein source for animals – fishmeal – is unsustainable, expensive, and in short supply, so animal nutritionists are closely monitoring this development. Since they are simple to breed, don't take up much space, and as it is known from the recent studies, leave a small ecological footprint, insects have been shown to be a great replacement. BENEFITS OF INCORPORATING EDIBLE INSECTS IN FEED AND FOOD INDUSTRY Even though in Western culture, edible insects may be considered controversial and unappetizing, for all of the reasons mentioned below, insects present an exciting and rewarding new choice in the feed and food industry. Additionally, let us remember that edible insects have been around from the beginning of civilization and have benefited it throughout the times. Moreover, edible insects are an important source of protein in some parts of the world, especially in developing countries, and 2 billion of people eat insects today. Better protein conversion Since the world population is anticipated to reach over 10 billion people in 2050, meat production is expected to rise. The anticipated growth in meat production has a drawback as it is the cause of well-known environmental pressure and inefficient conversion of plant protein to animal protein. According to previous research, on average, insects can convert 2 kilograms of feed into 1 kilogram of insect mass, whereas cattle require 8 kilograms of feed to produce 1 kilogram of body weight gain. Lower risk of zoonotic disease spread If used as food, edible insects can mitigate the risk of zoonotic disease transfer. The Coronavirus pandemic brought zoonotic viral infections to the public's notice. It is undeniable that arthropods can be vectors of various diseases, but it is believed that insects used for feed and food impose a low risk on animal and human health. Edible insects are pests that consume plant matter or agricultural waste and as a result, these PROGRESSIVE YET TRADITIONAL, SUSTAINABLE, AND ECONOMICAL PROTEIN SOURCE – EDIBLE INSECTS Masa Ivkovic AgTech Expert AFOS
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