Improving the Lipid Profile of Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens) Larvae for Marine Aquafeeds: Current State of Knowledge

14 pages, 5 figures, 1 table.-- This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License

The replacement of fish meal and fish oil by insect-based ingredients in the formulation of marine aquafeeds can be an important step towards sustainability. To pursue this goal, the modulation of the lipid profile of black soldier fly larvae (Hermetia illucens) has received great attention. While its nutritional profile can shift with diet, the ability to modulate its lipidome is yet to be understood. The present work provides an overview of the lipid modulation of H. illucens larvae through its diet, aiming to produce a more suitable ingredient for marine aquafeeds. Marine-based substrates significantly improve the lipid profile of H. illucens larvae, namely its omega-3 fatty acids profile. An improvement of approximately 40% can be achieved using fish discards. Substantial levels of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), two essential fatty acids for marine fish and shrimp species, were recorded in H. illucens larvae fed on fish discards and coffee silverskin with Schyzochytrium sp. Unfortunately, these improvements are still deeply connected to marine-based bioresources, some still being too costly for use at an industrial scale (e.g., microalgae). New approaches using solutions from the biotechnology toolbox will be decisive to make H. illucens larvae a feasible alternative ingredient for marine aquafeeds without having to rely on marine bioresources

Thanks are due to FCT/MCTES for the financial support to CESAM (UIDP/50017/2020+UIDB/50017/2020+LA/P/0094/2020), through national funds and to the project SUShI (CENTRO-01-0145-FEDER-030818) co-funded by Centro 2020 program, Portugal 2020, through the European Regional Development Fund, through FCT/MCTESand Xunta de Galicia (Grupos de Potencial Crecimiento, IN607B 2018/19). D.P.R. is funded by a PhD grant attributed by FCT/MCTES (PD/BD/143093/2018). O.M.C.C.A. is funded by national funds (OE), through FCT, in the scope of the framework contract foreseen in the numbers 4, 5, and 6 of the article 23, of the Decree-Law 57/2016, of 29 August, changed by Law 57/2017, of 19 July

Peer reviewed