Estimation of the digestible energy value of fat obtained from black soldier fly larvae (Hermetia illucens) for growing pigs.

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to determine the digestible energy (DE) of insect fat (IF) from black soldier fly larvae (BSLF) for growing pigs. Saturated fatty acids (SFA) were the dominant group of fatty acids in the IF, with lauric acid (C12:0) and palmitic acid (C16:0) comprising the greatest concentrations in this group. Linoleic acids (C18:2) and oleic acids (C18:1) were the main unsaturated fatty acids. The IF contained 37.63 MJ/kg gross energy and 2.55 g/kg nitrogen. During the experiment, a DE bioassay was performed wherein growing pigs were fed one of the two experimental diets (either a maize-wheat-barley-soy basal diet or a diet containing 50 g/kg IF plus 950 g/kg of the basal diet). The DE of the IF was calculated based on the differences between the DE values of basal and test diet (substitution method). The DE of the IF was determined to be 36.86 MJ/kg. The IF contains a DE level comparable to vegetable oils, including soybean, rapeseed, corn and palm oils. The results showed that the examined fat from BSLF is a good source of available energy and can be incorporated in pig diets as an alternative energy source.