Feed & Additive Magazine Issue 2 March 2021

SPECIAL STORY 50 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE March 2021 and fishes. Therefore, they should be considered as a natural ingredient, and they are very well-accepted as feedstock. Insects are also commonly eaten around the world and in some places, it is considered as a deli- cacy, especially in Asia, Africa, and South America. The Mopane worm in central and southern Africa, crickets in Cambodia, and several insects in Mex- ico are all examples of regional species that play an important role in the culture and diets of local people. In Southeast Asia, there are disparities; insects’ consumption is widely spread in Thailand, Cam- bodia, Laos, and Myanmar for example, whereas in countries like Malaysia, the entomophagy is more regional. Thus, the Sago worms are broadly eaten in East Malaysia states, Sarawak and Sabah, but not on peninsular Malaysia. It is quite difficult to measure the prevalence of usage of insects in the Asian region as the data are not avail- able. However, in the wealthiest and urbanized coun- tries like Singapore, the trend followed what happened in western countries: insects as food are now consid- ered as high-end and trendy sustainable products. What kind of predictions does the current situation offer you for the future? What role will insects play in our lives in the future according to your opinion? As the Danish great physicist Niels Bohr said: “Prediction is very difficult, especially if it’s about the future.” But I have no doubt the insect sector has a key role to play in the future to provide sus- tainable and alternative protein on the food and feed market, along with other alternative proteins such as algae and single cells. Can you also talk a little about the insect species / insect-based proteins used in animal feed? Which insects / insect proteins are used for which animal species? Globally, the insects as feed sector focuses main- ly on two species: The Black Solder Fly (BSF or Hermetia illucens) and to a lesser extent the Yellow Mealworm (Tenebrio molitor), the latter not being produced in Asia for feed. Actually, BSF offers many advantages: it is a worldwide species, with a wide feeding regime and a short life cycle. BSF is not a pest and the yields are high. There are many studies, which demonstrate that including insect meal promotes growth and can improve the health of farm animals. Animal welfare can also be stimulated by live insects inducing natural behaviour. Nutritionally, although insect protein differs from fishmeal, it generally meets the needs of poultry and aqua species very well. Insect meal is one of the ingredients used in the compound feed of various species. It is valuable to complete the food and balance it to meet the needs of the animal.