Feed & Additive Magazine Issue 3 April 2021

ARTICLE FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE April 2021 79 Black Soldier Fly The Black Soldier Fly has the most adaptable diet and thrives on many kinds of feed including com- post heaps and decomposing organic matter. There- fore, it is a voracious recycler of wet and dry food waste and byproducts. It has only a 10 days harvest cycle and thus its reproductive rate is high resulting in unparalleled yield. Significant features include a high protein content; valuable amino acid and fatty acid profile. BENEFITS OF INSECT PROTEIN Digestibility Study shows insects provide an 87.7% digestibility for dogs for in-vitro research. They have high protein quality, based on the amino acid profile and digest- ibility. Notably, insect proteins contain favourable digestibility in extruded feed compared to conven- tional poultry meal in addition to fecal quality bene- fits due to water binding capacity. Palatability Insects emit an attractive smell for dogs. Studies compared olfactory attractiveness of four farmed in- sect species to attractant aromas used in commercial pelleted pet food. Results showed that the insects were of equal attractiveness as the commercial ad- ditives. In a palatability study by Protenga, an AAF- CO-compliant diet was formulated with BSF protein as the only animal protein source (40%, no palatant or oil), conducted with an equivalent formula of using fishmeal instead of BSF, along with premium and low-cost commercial diets. Results showed clear preference for BSF over fishmeal (75% tried and fin- ished BSF first), and the attractiveness of the premi- um diet was equivalent to the BSF protein feed. Natural Insects are in the ancestral diet of our pets, in the wild and even at home. Cats, dogs, birds, fish, natu- rally already eat insects; more likely for them to catch