Exploring the Antimicrobial Potential and Stability of Black Soldier Fly (Hermentia illucens) Larvae Fat for Enhanced Food Shelf-Life

Abstract

The larvae of the Black Soldier Fly (BSF, Hermetia illucens) have been introduced as one of the tools to create a circular economy model, which will be used in areas such as waste management and the treatment of industrial by-products to produce high-added-value food grade ingredients. The main aim of this research was to investigate the fat composition and antimicrobial activity against food pathogens and spoilers of Black Soldier Fly larvae. The research revealed that the Black Soldier Fly larvae fats are predominantly lauric fatty (40.93%), which are followed by palmitic, oleic, myristic, linolenic and palmitoleic fatty acids, accounting for 19.11, 17.34, 6.49, 8.79 and 3.89% of the fatty acid content, respectively. The investigation of the fats showed stability through a one-year monitoring period with no indication of chemical or microbiological spoilage. Different fat fractions were tested for antimicrobial activity, which showed efficiency against Candida albicans (the inhibition zone varied from 10.5 to 12.5 mm), Bacillus subtilis (from 12.5 to 16.5 mm), Staphylococcus aureus (12.5 mm) and Escherichia coli (10.0 mm). The inhibitory effect on Candida albicans was confirmed by shelf-life studies using larvae fat-based oleogel in a model food matrix. GraphPad Prism (ver. 8.0.1) was used for the statistical data processing. This research revealed the potential of Black Soldier Fly larvae fat as a very stable ingredient with promising antibacterial properties that can extend the product shelf-life in food matrixes even when used in relatively small amounts.