Microbiological stability of Hermetia illucens meal subjected to two different heat treatments

The use of processed insect proteins for poultry and pig feed has been authorized since August 2021 (Regulation EU, 2021/1372). It has been already authorized for aquaculture since 2017 (Regulation EU, 2017/893). The adoption of this Regulation has boosted the European insect industry. However, there is currently little information regarding the evaluation of the shelf-life of insect-based feeds. The present work analyzed meals of Hermetia illucens that underwent two different treatments. The first treatment involved pre-sterilization at 80 °C for 2 h, and after that the larvae were subjected to treatment at 65 °C. The second treatment consisting in a heat treatment at 65 °C without pre-sterilization. The analysis performed for specific microbiological parameters, such as presence of β-glucuronidase positive Escherichia coli, Enterobacteriaceae, colony count at 30 °C, Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, Bacillus cereus, Clostridium perfringens, coagulase-positive Staphylococcus, yeasts and moulds, did not reveal any concerns about bacteria counts or pathogen presence.