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Cited by 395Insect Utilization and EffectsAgriculture Sustainability and Environmental ImpactInsect Pest Control Strategies

The Potential Role of Insects as Feed: A Multi-Perspective Review.

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Sogari, Giovanni, Amato, Mario, Biasato, Ilaria, Chiesa, Silvana, Gasco, Laura·2019·Animals
DOI 10.3390/ani9040119PMC PMC6523843
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Abstract

Recently, insects have received increased attention as an important source of sustainable raw materials for animal feed, especially in fish, poultry, and swine. In particular, the most promising species are represented by the black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens, HI), the yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor, TM), and the common house fly (Musca domestica, MD). Although rapid development is expected, insects remain underutilized in the animal feed industry mainly due to technical, financial, and regulatory barriers. In addition, few works have analyzed consumer and stakeholder points of view towards the use of insects as animal feed. In this article, we summarize the main findings of this body of research and provide a discussion of consumer studies regarding the consumption of animals fed with insects. Our review suggests that consumer acceptance will not be a barrier towards the development of this novel protein industry. Furthermore, we conclude that it will be of interest to understand whether the use of this more sustainable feed source might increase consumer willingness to pay for animal products fed with insects and whether the overall acceptability, from a sensory point of view, will be perceived better than conventional products. Finally, the main challenges of the feed farming industry are addressed.

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  • Insect lipids are allowed in feeding all animal species, but processed animal proteins are only permitted in aquaculture and extension of their authorization to poultry and swine feed is still pending.

    “So far, insect lipids are allowed in feeding all animal species, but PAPs (processed animal proteins) are only permitted in aquaculture and the possibility of extending the authorization of their use to poultry and swine feed is still pending (Sogari et al., 2019).”

    From Insect Derived Lauric Acid as Promising Alternative Strategy to Antibiotics in the Antimicrobial Resistance Scenario (2021) · cites this paper as Sogari et al., 2019

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Sogari, G., Amato, M., Biasato, I., Chiesa, S., & Gasco, L.
Affiliations
  • University of Parma (IT)
  • University of Naples Federico II (IT)
  • University of Turin (IT)
Corresponding author
Sogari, Giovanni
ORCID
Venue
Animals
Publisher
MDPI AG
Published
2019-03-27
Volume
9
Issue
4
Pages
119
ISSN
2076-2615 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3390/ani9040119
PMC
PMC6523843
OpenAlex
W2925181679
Cited by
395
References
2
Citations by year
2026: 51 · 2025: 59 · 2024: 64 · 2023: 58 · 2022: 55 · 2021: 55 · 2020: 45 · 2019: 8
FWCI
4.35
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Animals (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Institutional Research Information System University of Turin (University of Turin) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Insect Science › Insect Utilization and Effects
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Agriculture Sustainability and Environmental Impact
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Plant Science › Insect Pest Control Strategies
Keywords
insect feed, alternative animal feed, Hermetia illucens, Tenebrio molitor, Musca domestica, sustainable feed, consumer acceptance, willingness to pay, sensory perception, regulatory challenges, fish feed, poultry feed, pig feed

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