Using insects as animal feed: Potential, achievements and prospects

Nguyen Duy Hoan

Faculty of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine Thai Nguyen University of Agriculture and Forestry, Thai Nguyen City, Vietnam
ndhoan@tnu.edu.vn

Abstract

In the last 10 years, the use of insects as animal feed has been increasingly applied by many countries and has gradually become a global trend. Insects have many advantages over other sources of protein production, which are high protein content, balanced amino acids, complete mineral and vitamin composition. Insects have great production potential with productivity, the output is many times higher than that of common livestock. The development of insect farming for animal feed is still a relatively new field in the world. To help interested people better understand the benefits of insects and the achievements that the insect industry brings on a global scale, this article summarizes the research and evaluation by scientists, specialized companies, in recent times, thereby helping to promote the development of the field of using insects as animal feed, gradually replacing soybeans and fishmeal in animal diets.

Key worlds: edible insects, protein food supplement, protein source

Introduction

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the global population will increase to 9.7 billion people by 2050, nearly 11 billion people by 2100, leading to a demand for protein, especially animal meats will increase greatly. In order to have enough meat to supply the global population, a major revolution in livestock production is required, in which the problem of finding high-protein food sources to replace fishmeal and soybean is the biggest challenge today. Fish meal and soybean are the main ingredients that provide protein in animal feed. Animal feed accounts for around 75% of soy production, but cultivation of the crop is fuelling climate change, deforestation and habitat conversion in several key ecosystems, including the Brazillian Cerrado, where more than 100,000 hectares of precious habitat is lost each year to make way for soy production. In recent years, fishmeal and soybean are increasingly scarce, prices are increasing due to insufficient supply and demand. The price of soybean in the US and Brazil, the world's two largest soybean exporters, has increased by more than 60% in the past two years, leading to a sharp increase in global feed prices. To maintain and develop the livestock industry, it is necessary to find other protein-rich sources to replace fishmeal and soybean meal, in which insects are one of the most promising directions.Through the collection and analysis of related studies, this paper provides readers with an overview of the issue of using insects as animal feed.

Materials and methods

Research content

This article collects studies related to the benefits of using insects such as nutritional value, yield, product quality, preliminary research results in the use of insects as animal feed and forecast the potential of this field in the future.

Research method

The paper summarizes more than 50 research results, documents, books and articles from around the world since 2010 on the field of edible insects. The data in the paper are synthesized, analyzed and recalculated to be representative for articles with similar data. Publications with large data differences will not be used in the data tables, if used in the article cited separately for each specific content.

Results and discussion

History, popular types of edible insects

The use of insects as food for humans dates back 7,000 years (Ramos-Elorduy, 2009). More than 2200 species of 18 orders have been identified as edible insects, of which 5 orders with at least 100 species have been recorded (Jongema, 2017). Although the research on using insects as animal feed has appeared in some countries since the 70s of the 20th century, it has only grown strongly since 2000, especially from 2010 onwards. Up to now, there have been more than 300 in-depth studies on this issue and nearly 40 countries have issued regulations allowing the use of certain types of insects as animal feed. The types of insects that are allowed to use depend on the specific regulations of each country and territory, but there are 8 types of insects that are allowed by most countries to be used as animal feed, which are: Black soldier flies (Hermetia illucens), house flies (Musca domestica), compost worm (Perionyx excavatus), grasshoppers (Locusts), small mealworms (Alphitobius), house crickets (Acheta localus), tropical crickets (Gryllodes sigillatus) and cricket (Gryllus assimilis).

Legality and some issues of disagreement in the use of insects as animal feed

FAO: On the basis of reliable research results of many reputable scientists in the world, in 2013 the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations officially called for the use of insects for humans in areas lack of animal protein sources. This is a reliable basis for many countries around the world to promote the use of insects for humans and livestock.

EU: The use of insects in animal feed was previously banned under a law called the "TSE Regulation", however from 2017 this regulation has been partially revised, allowing the using of insects into fish food, by 2021, the EU allows the use of 07 insect species (black soldier flies, house flies, yellow mealworms, small mealworms, house crickets, striped crickets and field crickets) in poultry and pig feeds.

USA and Canada: In the United States, the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is the agency responsible for monitoring, testing, and ensuring the safety of animal feed. Some states have their own regulations based on decisions made by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO). From 2016, the AAFCO allows only one insect, the black soldier fly, as a salmon feed ingredient, however 18 States still allow insects to be used as food for other animals. In Canada, the Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is responsible for issuing animal feed regulations. In 2016, the CFIA approved the use of black soldier fly larvae in broiler feed and expanded to aquaculture in 2017 and to all poultry such as ducks, geese and turkeys in 2018.

Korea, China and Japan: In Korea, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) is responsible for the regulation of animal feed. Before 2018, insects were barely allowed to be used, but the feed-related laws were revised to allow the use of mealworm larvae, crickets, grasshoppers, black soldier flies and mosquitoes as animal feed, but registration is required before use. China has its own legal framework on the use of insects, including a list of insects that are allowed to be used as animal feed (about over 40 types). In Japan, to be allowed to use insects as animal feed, manufacturers, importers and agents of animal feed must send a notice to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries to obtain permission before use.

Thailand: the world’s largest producer of crickets and grasshoppers, has released guidelines on farming practices for crickets (Thai Bureau of Agricultural Commodity and Food Standards 2017), but otherwise does not have regulations governing entomophagy or raising insects as animal feed . Elsewhere in Southeast Asia, there generally do not seem to be laws preventing the consumption of insects by humans.

Vietnam: Since 2019, Circular No. 21/2019/TT-BNNPTNT, November 28, 2019 of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has allowed the use of edible insects as animal feed.

Some issues are not agreed

Although there are many potentials and advantages, the use of insects as food for humans and animals is still a new issue (actually only about the last 10 years), has not been studied thoroughly, so it is still a problem. There are still some conflicting opinions, there is no consensus, expressed in the following aspects: the problem of controlling foreign insects that negatively affect the environment; What is the allergic reaction of pets when using insects for a long time? What is the difference between the quality of fertilizers of animals fed with insects compared to that of animals fed with traditional food? In addition, some scientists such as Diener et al (2015), Van der Fels-Klerx et al (2016), Purschke et al (2017) are concerned that insects can accumulate heavy metals such as lead and arsenic from Their food and water lead to adverse effects on livestock. In addition, another question for scientists is whether insects are mediators for the transmission of harmful microorganisms such as bacteria and viruses? And if so, what measures should be used to limit it? Questions need to be further studied by scientists and answered satisfactorily in the near future.

The benefits of insects

Insects contain all the necessary nutrients for animals

The greatest potential of insects is high protein content with complete and balanced essential amino acids (Table 1). The crude protein percentage ranges from 40 to 75% on a dry matter basis and from 15 to 20% on a fresh basis. Compared with common meats such as chicken, pork and beef, the crude protein content of insects is higher, the amino acid composition is similar. Most insects provide essential amino acids at ideal levels, allowing digestibility between 76 and 96% (Belluco et al, 2015; Nowak et al, 2016; Payne et al 2016).

Studies have shown that insects contain more vitamins and minerals that animals can absorb at a faster and higher rate than beef or wheat (Kulma et al (2016); Liz Koutsos & Alejandra McComb (2016); 2019). Most insects contain a full range of macro and micro-mineral elements (Table 2). Mineral content of insects varies by species, beetles with mineralized skeletons have higher calcium content and positive calcium/phosphorus ratio (greater than 1/1) than most other commercially farmed insects (Oonincx & Van der Poel 2011; Finke 2013 , 2015). Insects contain a full range of vitamins, especially fat-soluble vitamins. Although water-soluble vitamins are lower in content, but B vitamins group are quite abundant and can be fully supplied to animals without supplementing with multivitamins. The crude lipid ratio of insects is about 15-35%, equivalent to other common meats, but the content of unsaturated fatty acids is very high in some insects such as Yellow mealworm, Silkworm pupae (Table 3).

Insects have a fast reproduction rate, high biomass growth, and high efficiency in converting food into products

Research results of Kulma et al (2016) and Assar Ali Shah et al (2022) show that the survival rate of some insects such as black soldier fly, yellow mealworm, Argentine cockroach is higher than 50%, but the life cycle is shorter than that of other livestock such as pigs, chickens, fish. The conversion efficiency from basic feed to biomass of insects is very high, only from 1.5 to 5.0 kg of feed/kg of product (Table 4). Author Jongema (2017) shows that black soldier flies in South America can increase their mass 500 times in just 1 week. According to the announcement of FAO (2017, 2021), the conversion efficiency from basic feed to live weight and edible parts of grasshoppers is much better than that of chickens, pigs and cows. To produce 1 kg of biomass or 1 kg of edible part, grasshoppers need only 1.7 - 2.1 kg of feed, while chickens need 2.5 - 4.5 kg, pigs need 5 -9.1 kg, cows need 10 - 25kg respectively.

FAO (2013) concluded that to make the same amount of protein, crickets need 12 times of feed less than cattle, 4 times less than sheep and 0.5 times less than pigs and chickens. This is explained by the fact that insects are cold-blooded living creatures that do not require energy to maintain body temperature and therefore require less food. In addition, some scientists estimate the edible and digestibility portion of insects to be very high, with up to 80% of a cricket's mass being edible and digestible, compared with 55% for chickens and pigs and 40% for cattle.

Insects use soil and water more efficiently, polluting the environment less than other sources of protein production

Compared to other sources of protein production, insects use the soil much more efficiently. Indicators such as production output/year, level of vertical farming, number of production cycles and protein yield/year are all higher than those of soybeans and other animal meats (Table 5). The protein yield produced by the black soldier fly/year/unit area is 1000 times higher than that of soybeans and cows, and 5-6 times higher than that of pigs and chickens (Liz Koutsos et al, 2019). To produce 1 ton of crickets, equivalent to about 600 kg of protein, requires 2.8 tons of feed with an area of 3,100 m2, and takes 3 months. Meanwhile, to produce 1 ton of soybeans, equivalent to about 50 kg of protein, requires about 3,200m2 and takes a year (FAO, 2021). The amount of water required to produce 1 kg of chicken, pork or beef worldwide averages 1,498, 2,819 and 9,678 liters/kg, respectively (Chapagain and Hoekstra, 2003), whereas to produce 1 kg of yellow mealworms only needs 25 liters of water, if including water to grow products to raise it, it only needs 713 liters/kg (Oonincx and De Boer, 2012). Another remarkable aspect of insects is that they can eat organic waste, emit less greenhouse gases and ammonia than other types of livestock, thereby helping to reduce environmental pollution. Bühler Group (2019) has applied new technology to raise black soldier fly with low production costs, low greenhouse gas emissions. Research by this group has shown that with the same protein output the raising chickens requires 13 times more land, 7 times more water, 1.5 times more energy, and 5.5 times more CO2 emissions than that of black soldier fly.

Achievements and prospects for the future

The biggest success in promoting the use of insects for animal feed was in 2013 when FAO published the book: "Edible Insects: Future Prospects for Food and Feed Security", thereby increasing international awareness of the benefits of edible insects and their role in meeting need of human and livestock' food. To promote this idea, FAO recently continued to publish two new books, namely: “Guidelines for Sustainable Cricket Farming” published in 2020 and “Edible Insects from a Food Safety Perspective” published in 2021.

In addition, due to the pressure on protein supply for humans in many countries, especially African and Asian countries, the Government has encouraged private businesses and corporations to invest more in this field. Through the interest of many organizations and individuals, the field of using insects as animal feed has grown strongly in the last 10 years.

In terms of scale

Data by Abraham Rowe (2020), Madau et al (2020) and FAO (2021) show that the global scale has reached 1.0 to 1.2 trillion insects/year (compared to about 22 billion chickens, the most popular meat today), the output reached over 60,000 tons. Asia and Africa account for about 70% of the global insect production. The largest insect farming countries in the world being Thailand, South Africa, China, France, Canada and the United States of America. RaboResearch company (Netherlands) has forecast that global production of insect protein for animal feed could reach 500,000 tons by 2030, but only account for about 1% of the global animal feed market.

In terms of trade

The forecast data of the global insect market has not been unified, even there are quite large differences. According to FAO estimates (2021), the total insect market value is estimated to reach about USD 1.7 billion by 2023 and will increase to USD 10 billion by 2030 with a CAGR of 11.7%. According to Insect Market Outlook (2023), the global insect market value in 2023 will reach USD 2.6 billion and will increase to USD 17.4 billion by 2033 with a growth rate of 20.9%/ year.

Globally, there are more than 500 companies investing in the field of insects, in addition, hundreds of millions of dollars are invested each year in startups to industrialize the field of insect production. To increase consumer interest in Western markets such as Europe and North America, insects have been processed into a non‐recognizable form, such as powders or flour. Policymakers, academics, as well as large-scale insect food producers such as Entomofarms in Canada, Aspire Food Group in the United States, Protifarm and Protix in the Netherlands and Bühler Group in Switzerland, focus on seven insects species suitable for human consumption as well as industrialized mass production. Some well-known companies in the world have succeeded in this field such as Hargol FoodTech Company (Israel) leading the world in the field of grasshopper farming with the product of grasshopper protein powder mixed with pasta, which is very popular in Europe and America. Bay SpArk Company (Israel) is famous for its butter products mixed with protein powder made from insects.

After being allowed by the government, many companies in the US, UK, Netherlands, France, Malaysia have invested large amounts of money to deeply participate in this field. In Asia-Pacific, China is the largest market for insect feed. Due to the increasing demand for meat, the Chinese Government has supported the development of the insect feed industry to increase the output of domestically produced meats, limiting imports from other countries. India is the second largest market for insect animal feed after China. According to FAO (2021), like many other countries, in India, soybean and corn are the two main ingredients for animal feed production, it is account for 60% of the total cost of livestock, but this country has to import more than 80 %. To reduce the cost of livestock, and at the same time reduce competition for maize and soybeans between humans and livestock, the government of India has issued many policies to encourage locust farming to replace imported soybeans and maize.

Conclusions

• Insects have many characteristics that are suitable for use as a protein supplement in the diets of most traditional livestock such as fish, poultry, pigs and cattle.
  
  
• With crude protein content up to 25 - 40% along with many other nutrients such as minerals, vitamins, insect products can completely replace soy and fishmeal in animal diets.
  
  
• The United Nations and the Governments of many countries have and will issue many policies to promote the development of the field of edible insects, through which it is forecast that this market will grow by about 20% per year and reach a size of about 15 - 20 USD billion in the next 10 years.

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