Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens) Larvae Protein Derivatives: Potential to Promote Animal Health

Abstract

European legislation permits the inclusion of insect proteins in pet and aquaculture diets. Black soldier fly larvae (BSF) are one of the most actively produced species due to their low environmental impact and nutritional characteristics. BSF protein derivatives (proteins and protein hydrolysates) contain a substantial amount of low molecular weight peptides that are known to possess antioxidant potential. In this study, the in vitro antioxidant potential of commercial BSF proteins and protein hydrolysates was investigated for (1) radical scavenging activity, (2) myeloperoxidase activity modulation, and (3) neutrophil response modulation. Chickenmeal and fishmeal are commonly used in pet food and aquaculture formulations. Hence, both were used as industrial benchmarks during this study. The results indicate that fishmeal and chickenmeal are ineffective at suppressing the oxidative damage caused by neutrophil response and myeloperoxidase activity. Fishmeal and chickenmeal even exhibit pro-oxidant behavior in some of the models used during this study. On the other hand, it was found that BSF protein derivatives could be effective in protecting against the cellular damage resulting from neutrophil and myeloperoxidase activities. The outcomes of this study indicate that BSF protein derivatives could be potentially included in pet food and aquaculture feed formulations as health-promoting ingredients.