Dose-Dependent Retention of Omega-3 Fatty Acids by Black Soldier Fly Larvae (Diptera: Stratiomyidae)

• DOI: 10.1093/jee/toaa045
• Publication Date: 2020-03-02T20:18:26Z
• Authors: Patrick Erbland; Andrei Alyokhin; L Brian Perkins; Michael Peterson
• Keywords: Black fly

Black soldier fly larvae, Hermetia illucens (L.), are used to convert organic waste streams into insect-based animal feeds. We tested their ability retain alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), eicosapentaenoic (EPA), and docosahexaenoic (DHA) from feeding substrates, which has important implications for use in aquaculture. When supplementing a chicken feed diet with increasing concentrations of salmon oil (0-42%) over an number days (0-8), the three omega-3 acids larvae increased significantly. Larval survival biomass accumulation were not affected. Supplementing (0-14%) Tetraselmis chui Butcher (Chlorodendrales: Chlorodendraceae) microalgae paste also significantly ALA EPA contents harvested larvae. However, decreased survival, biomass, individual growth on highest supplement concentration (14%). DHA was detected any or subsequent larval tissue samples. All polyunsaturated fatty this study accumulated dose-dependent manner, quadratic, occasionally linear, equations providing best description observed relationships. There significant negative correlations between several acids, indicating that they may replace one another living Our findings confirm black can ingested change profiles tissues accordingly. optimizing nutrient content harvestable is likely be more complicated than simply enriching diets acids.