Feed & Additive Magazine Issue 2 March 2021

SPECIAL STORY FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE March 2021 59 seabream) show a high ability to digest these and also to digest artificial diets containing shrimp and crab meals. In addition to that, chitin shows positive im- munomodulatory effects when administered in low doses (like in insect meals) as it enhances the anti- oxidant defence system of the fish. An explanation might be eventual similarities between the molecular surface of the exoskeleton of parasites and insects. FEED SECURITY ASPECTS The microbial- and general safety aspects of in- sect-based feed components (and of food insects) in the course of the application at EU-level, were subject of several investigations and discussions. These final- ly were leading to the admission in 2017 as fish feed component and to the acceptance of some species as “Novel Foods” for human consumption at EU level. The European Authority for Feed and Food Security EFSA, stated in 2015 that in case currently allowed feed materials (for livestock) is administered to insects, the risk of microbial and chemical hazards of result- ing animal feeds is not expected to be elevated. This excludes the use of food waste etc. as feedstock for the Black Soldier Fly larvae and further insects, but reduces the risk of transmission of food-born diseases considerably. Furthermore production- and processing methods like drying, grinding or extrusion do have im- portant influence on the bacterial and pathogen load of insect-based feeds. For example, a strong correlation was found between the water content and the microbi- al load including psychrotrophic bacteria, bacterial en- dospores and fungi. It is clear that insect meals subject- ed for animal feeding need to undergo accurate drying procedures besides strictly following the relevant legal directions on the treatment of animal by-products laid down in the EU-regulation (EC) 1069/2009. In contrast to microbiological hazards, procedures like heating have minimal effect on concentrations of chemical contaminants. The fate of those contami- nants can be influenced by concentration- or dilution during processing of insects into insect-derived pro- teins. Concentrations of chemicals will differ in the protein fraction and oil fraction, e.g. highly lipophilic dioxins will be removed from the protein fraction by de-fatting procedures and remain in the oil fraction. RESUME AND FURTHER OUTLOOK Since the ban on insect-based processed animal protein in the EU was lifted for aquaculture feeds in 2017 the young insect industry gained momentum also in Europe. The production processes have been industrialized and automated in the Western hemi- sphere and also in Asia by several companies and the production capacities have been multiplied. Though it is still unclear which volumes are produces annu- ally worldwide and there still are uncertainties about the extent insect meal and oil can replace marine ingredients in high performing compound feeds. In other words: market uncertainties do exist although the demand for alternative feed proteins of non- plant origin is obvious. Meals from different insect species appear to perform differently in terms of growth, digestibil- ity, flesh quality and health-promotion in fish and poultry and the expectation of a totally possible re- placement of fishmeal will certainly not be reached. Therefor the young insect industry might be well ad- vised to develop mixed insect meals made from var- ious species to minimise obvious amino-acids’ defi- ciencies. Low dietary inclusion levels of insect meals seem to promote both, the growth performance and the immune status of fish and poultry and should be investigated further. The reported quality of the BSF-larvae meal in terms of lipid- and protein content is not comparable between different studies but it seems to have big in- fluence on the performance of the diets they are used