Table 2 Comparison between commonly farmed and other selected insects used for livestock and aquaculture feed based on the processing techniques inclusion levels, and performance
Insect type | Processing methods | Animal type | Inclusion level | Findings | Country | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conventional insects | ||||||
Black soldier flies (Hermetia illucens) | Live, chopped, or dried and ground forms | Fish | 30% replacement of fishmeal and soybean meal | Produced considerably faster growth rates in tilapia fish species | Guinea | [44] |
Yellow mealworms (Tenebrio molitor) | Oven, freeze and infrared-drying, defatting/lipid extraction | Broiler chickens | Up to 100% | Did not affect the FI, BW, and BWG in male broilers aged 30–62 days | Turkey and Italy | |
Crickets (Gryllus bimaculatus) | Ground into powder | Ruminant species (unspecified) | Up to 20% | Could be used as an alternative high-quality feed in ruminant diets without adverse effects on nutrient digestibility with increased ammonia–nitrogen. However, their high fat content should be taken into consideration | Japan | [28] |
Palm weevil larvae (Rhynchophorus phoenicis) | Freeze and oven-drying, defatting | Fish | 100% replacement of fishmeal | Improved weight gain in Clarias gariepinus juvenile | Nigeria | [24] |
Selected swarming insects | ||||||
Winged termites (Macrotermes subhyalinus) | Oven-drying | Fish and broiler chicks | 50% replacement of fishmeal | Improved growth rate of catfish when replacing fishmeal in diets. Macrotermes could replace fishmeal in chick diets without any effect on daily weight gain and the feed conversion ratio | Nigeria and Burkina Faso | [1] |
Locust/ grasshopper meal | Boiling and sun-drying | Indigenous chickens | Up to 100% | Reduced feed intake but tended to improve FCR and sensory attributes with no effect on carcass characteristics | Kenya | [20] |
Mopane worms (Imbresia belina) | Degutting, roasting, sun-drying and grinding | Quails | Up to 150 g/kg replacement of soybean meal | Could be included in diets without adverse effect on performance, health and meat quality | South Africa | [48] |