• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.64 no.6
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• pp.1063-1076
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• 2022

Two experiments were conducted to determine the effect of Hermetia illucens larvae (HIL) as protein and protease on growth performance, blood profiles, fecal microflora, and gas emission in growing pig. In experiment 1, the seventy-two crossbred growing pigs ([Landrace × Yorkshire] × Duroc) with an initial body weight (BW) of 27.98 ± 2.95 kg were randomly allotted to one of four dietary treatments (3 pigs per pen and 6 replicates pen per treatments). The experimental design was a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments evaluating two diets (Poultry offal diets and HIL diets) without or with supplementing protease. The poultry offal in basal diet has been replaced by HIL. In experiment 2, the four crossbred growing pigs ([Landrace × Yorkshire] × Duroc) with an initial BW of 28.2 ± 0.1 kg were individually accepted in stainless steel metabolism cages. The dietary treatments included: 1) PO- (PO-; poultry offal diet), 2) PO+ (PO- + 0.05% protease), 3) HIL- (3% PO of PO- diet was replacement 3% HIL), 4) HIL+ (HIL- + 0.05% protease). In experiment 1, From weeks 0 to 2, average daily gain (ADG) and feed efficiency (G:F) were significantly increased in the PO diet group compared with the HIL group. From weeks 2 to 4, ADG and G:F were higher for protease group than for non-protease group. At weeks 2 and 4, the PO diet group had lower blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels than HIL diet group. In experiment 2, crude protein (CP) and nitrogen (N) retention were decreased by HIL diet at weeks 2 and 4. The fecal microflora and gas emission were not affected by HIL and protease. The HIL diet showed lower CP digestibility than PO diet and total essential amino acids digestibility tended to higher in PO diet than HIL diet. In summary, the present study revealed that replacement of the PO protein with the HIL protein and the additive of protease in growing pig diets during the overall experimental period had no negative effect.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.171-174
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• 2009

The black soldier fly larvae are able to decompose various organic wastes such as livestock manures and food wastes. We tested whether the quality of the insect derived compost, i.e. larval feces, was comparable to that of a commercial fertilizer. The results show that the chemical composition and the growth rate of cabbages grown on the insect derived compost are virtually identical to those on the commercial fertilizer. Therefore the insect derived compost will be an ideal substitute to commercial fertilizers.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.35 no.2_spc
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• pp.347-355
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• 2022

Among edible insects, black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens), yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor), and common housefly (Musca domestica) have been considered as an alternative protein source for pigs. Because they are easy to breed and grow in the organic wastes, and they have well-balanced nutritional value as a protein source for pigs. The black soldier fly larvae and mealworm could replace the fish meal in the diets for weaned pigs without adverse effects on growth performance and nutrient digestibility. Black soldier fly could also be included in the finishing pig's diet without any negative effects on the growth performance and pork quality of the market pigs. Insect products showed a greater standardized ileal digestibility value of amino acids than conventional animal proteins in growing pigs. Due to the limited amount of insect products used for pig feeding study, most previous pig studies have been conducted in weaned pigs. Thus, further study is needed about the optimal inclusion level of insect products in every phase diet from weaned pigs to sows. The use of insect products in swine diets has some challenges in terms of cost, supply, and safety. Lastly, intrinsic differences among insect species, processing method, and feeding phase should be taken into consideration for the use of insect products in the swine diets.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.47 no.2
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• pp.219-227
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• 2020

Among insect species, black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) is a promising ingredient for animal feed as a dietary source. Moreover, BSFL contains a high content of lauric acid (C12:0), which has antimicrobial effects. Therefore, this study evaluated the effect of BSFL oil (BSFLO) as a partial or total replacement of soybean oil (SBO) on the cecal microbiota in broilers. A total of 210 male broiler chickens (Ross 308) at one-day of age were randomly allotted to 3 dietary treatments (10 replicates and 7 birds/group): a basal control diet (CON), the basal diet in which SBO was replaced by 50% (50 BSFLO) or 100% (100 BSFLO) BSFLO. At the end of the study (d 35), 18 birds (6 broilers/treatment) were randomly selected and slaughtered. Samples of cecal digesta were collected to verify their cecal microbiota. Overall, 235,978 gene sequences were generated, and a total of 4,398 operational taxonomic units were identified in the three groups. At the phylum level, Firmicutes was the dominant phyla in all three groups. At the genus level, Faecalibacterium was the dominant genera in all the treatments. There were no significant differences in the relative abundances of all the genera between the BSFLO groups and CON. However, the genus Erysipelatoclostridium was more abundant in the 50 BSFLO group than in the CON (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the substitution of SBO with BSFLO in broiler diets had no negative effect on the cecal microbiota of broilers.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.533-540
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• 2022

We evaluated a worm-based extruded pellet diet with black soldier fly Hermetia illucens larvae (BSF) meal and BSF oil for olive flounder Paralichthys olivaceus through field feeding experiments at a commercial aquafarm. We prepared two experimental diets by replacing fish meal and fish oil with BSF meal and BSF oil (BEP-1, BSF meal 7%, BSF oil 1%) and (BEP-2, BSF oil 2%), respectively. We prepared raw-fish based moist pellets (MP) for comparison between the two experimental diets. We distributed the olive flounder (220±6.29 g) in square (10 m×10 m×1 m) concrete, 100 ton tanks at a density of 1,600 fish per tank (n=3) in triplicate for each dietary treatment. We fed the diets to the fish to apparent satiation for 7 months. At the end of the feeding trial, we found no substantial differences between the groups in terms of growth performance, survival, or feed utilization. None of the diet groups showed any changes in either hematological or non-specific immune responses. The histological observation of the intestine showed that the goblet cell number and cholecystokinin-producing cell activity increased in the fish fed the BEP diet compared with the those of the fish fed the MP diet. These results indicated that dietary BSF meal and oil can be used for olive flounder without compromising growth or, hematological and histological parameters.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.1150-1169
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• 2023

Edible insects are gaining popularity as a potential future food source because of their high protein content and efficient use of space. Black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) are noteworthy because they can be used as feed for various animals including reptiles, dogs, fish, chickens, and pigs. However, if the edible insect industry is to advance, we should use automation to reduce labor and increase production. Consequently, there is a growing demand for sensing technologies that can automate the evaluation of insect quality. This study used short-wave infrared (SWIR) hyperspectral imaging to predict the proximate composition of dried BSFL, including moisture, crude protein, crude fat, crude fiber, and crude ash content. The larvae were dried at various temperatures and times, and images were captured using an SWIR camera. A partial least-squares regression (PLSR) model was developed to predict the proximate content. The SWIR-based hyperspectral camera accurately predicted the proximate composition of BSFL from the best preprocessing model; moisture, crude protein, crude fat, crude fiber, and crude ash content were predicted with high accuracy, with R² values of 0.89 or more, and root mean square error of prediction values were within 2%. Among preprocessing methods, mean normalization and max normalization methods were effective in proximate prediction models. Therefore, SWIR-based hyperspectral cameras can be used to create automated quality management systems for BSFL.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.187-191
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• 2024

This study aimed to investigate the effect of treating environmental purification insect larvae to pig manure on crude ash contents and ammonia production. The experiment set up consisted go two groups: 1 kg of each 3^rd instar TM (Tenebrio molitor) and 3^rd instar PBS (Protaetia brevitarsis seulensis) larvae in Experiment 1 or 3^rd and 4^th instar of HI (Hermetia illucens L.) larvae in Experiment 2 were treated with 5 kg of pig manure. In Experiment 1, the crude ash content was higher in TM larvae-treated pig manure at days 0 and 5 (p>0.05), but was similar to that in PBS larvae-treated pig manure over (p>0.05). Ammonia production was observed at day 0 of TM and PBS larvae-treated pig manure (p<0.05), but did not occur thereafter. For Experiment 2, there was significant difference in crude ash content of 3^th and 4^th instar HI larvae-treated pig manure on day 15. Additionally, ammonia production was found in 3^th and 4^th instar HI larvae-treated pig manure at days 0 and 5, but did not continue over time. In conclusion, treating TM, PBS and HI to pig manure changed the crude ash contents and reduced ammonia through the ability to decompose pig manure. Thus, environmental impact can be minimized using environmental purification insect larvae.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.57 no.1
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• pp.23-31
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• 2024

This study evaluated the utilization of a low fish meal (LFM) diet and black soldier fly (BSF) Hermetia illucens meal and oil as a fish meal (FM) substitute or functional additive for juvenile olive flounder Paralichthys olivaceus at the Jeju fish farm. Two experimental diets replaced FM using animal (tankage, poultry byproduct and tuna byproduct meal) and plant (wheat gluten and soy protein concentrate) protein sources, containing 45% (FM45) and 35% (FM35) of FM, respectively. One experimental diet replaced FM with animal, plant, and BSF meal, fish oil using insect meal and oil (FM35+). After the feeding trial ended, no differences in growth performance, feed utilization, survival and biological indices were observed among all experimental groups. Aspartate aminotransferase and cholesterol levels in the FM35 and FM35+ groups were significantly higher than that in the FM70 group. The linoleic acid level in the muscle was significantly higher in the fish fed with the FM70 diet than in those fed with the FM45, FM35, and FM35+ diets. Thus, the LFM diet is suitable for juvenile olive flounder farming during six months.

• Asian Journal of Turfgrass Science
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.106-111
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• 2011

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of the mixture ratio of a soldier fly casts (SFC), compost and cocopeat on the soil physicochemical properties. The mixture ratios of soil amendment were 0%, 3%, 5%, 7% and 10% (V/V) incorporated with sand which met to the USGA particle standard. To analyze the effects of amendments on soil chemical properties, pH and EC were measured. The porosity, capillary porosity, air-filled porosity, bulk density and hydraulic conductivity also measured to analyze the physical properties. Chemical properties were significantly different by mixture ratios of a SFC, compost and cocopeat. Capillary porosity was a factor involved in soil physical properties by blending with a SFC and compost. It was affected on the volume of porosity or hydraulic conductivity. To analyze the correlation of mixture ratio versus to physical characters, the ratios of SFC were significantly different in capillary porosity, air-filled porosity, and hydraulic conductivity. These results indicated that mixing ratios of SFC were affected on soil physicochemical properties such as porosity and hydraulic conductivity of the root zone on the USGA sand green.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.65 no.6
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• pp.1290-1307
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• 2023

This study investigated the effect of processed forms (defatted or hydrolyzed) of black soldier fly larvae (Hermetia illucens L., BSFL) as a protein substitute on broilers. Experiment 1 was a feeding experiment, and Experiment 2 was a metabolism experiment. In Experiment 1, a total of 120 day-old Arbor Acres broilers (initial body weight 39.52 ± 0.24 g) were used for 28 days. There were 8 replicate pens, and 5 broilers were assigned to each pen. In Experiment 2, a total of 36 day-old broilers (initial body weight 39.49 ± 0.21 g) were used for the metabolism trial. There were 2 broilers in a metabolism cage and six replicate cages per treatment. The dietary treatments were as follows: a basal diet (CON), a basal diet without fishmeal and substitute with defatted BSFL (T1), a basal diet without fishmeal and a substitute with hydrolyzed BSFL (T2). In Experiment 1, during the entire experimental period, the T2 group significantly increased (p < 0.05) body weight gain and feed intake compared to the CON and T1 groups. The feed conversion ratio showed a lower tendency (p = 0.057) in the T2 group than in the CON and T1 groups. At 2 weeks, the CON and T2 groups were significantly higher (p < 0.05) crude protein (CP) digestibility than the T1 group. At 4 weeks, the total protein level significantly increased (p < 0.05) in the CON and T2 groups compared to the T1 group. In Experiment 2, the CP digestibility significantly increased (p < 0.05) in the T2 group compared to the CON and T1 group at weeks 2 and 4. At week 4 amino acid digestibility, the T2 group significantly increased (p < 0.05) lysine, methionine, tryptophan, and glycine digestibility compared to the T1 group. There was no difference in fecal microbiota among the treatment groups. In conclusion, feeding hydrolyzed BSFL as a fishmeal substitute in broiler diets improved growth performance, CP digestibility, and specific amino acid digestibility. Therefore, it is considered that hydrolyzed BSFL in broiler diets can be sufficiently used as a new protein source.