Netherlands: Fly larvae can replace soybean meal in pigs

Published 2021년 10월 2일

Tridge summary

A recent study published in Scientific Reports by Nature, authored by researchers from Wageningen University & Research and Leiden University in the Netherlands, explores the potential of black soldier fly larvae as a sustainable and suitable protein source for pigs, compared to soybean meal. The research, funded by the European Commission, demonstrates that pigs fed with insect larvae show improved gut health, with increased levels of beneficial bacteria and suppressed harmful bacteria. Despite the high cost of insect protein, which is two to three times more expensive than conventional protein sources, the researchers suggest that it could be used as a specialty product in animal feed to improve health and welfare. This finding aligns with the European Union's decision to permit the use of insect-derived proteins in pig and poultry diets, marking a significant step towards sustainable and alternative protein sources in animal nutrition.

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Original content

Interest in insects as food and feed has increased dramatically over the last decade. Black soldier fly larvae are potentially a more suitable and sustainable protein source as they can be grown on waste and residual streams from food production, say the researchers at Wageningen University and Research and Leiden University in the Netherlands. They conducted a trial to determine the effect on pigs fed black soldier fly larvae compared to soybean meal. Pig Progress spoke to lead researcher, Dr Soumya Kanti Kar, gut performance and animal health scientist at Wageningen Livestock Research, to find out more about the trial and what was discovered. A trial in growing pigs The feeding trial was conducted with 2 groups of growing pigs. One group was fed a diet with regular soybean meal as a protein source, while the other was fed a diet with black soldier fly larvae as the protein source. Data from the trial were gathered on the microbiota of the small intestine and metabolites in the ...

Source: Pigprogress