Journal Article

Low drying temperature has negligible impact but defatting increases in vitro rumen digestibility of insect meals, with minor changes on fatty acid biohydrogenation

Renna, Manuela, Coppa, Mauro, Claeys, Jonas, Rastello, Lara, Lussiana, Carola, Le Morvan, Aline, Gasco, Laura, Maxin, Gaëlle

2025

Overview

Background Insect meals have been identified as innovative and sustainable feedstuffs that could be used in ruminant nutrition. However, current research on the effects that their processing may have on rumen digestibility and fatty acid (FA) biohydrogenation is scant. This trial aims to investigate the effects (i) of drying temperature of full-fat Hermetia illucens (HI) and Tenebrio molitor (TM) meals, and (ii) of residual ether extract (EE) content of defatted HI and TM meals, on their fermentation characteristics and FA of rumen digesta after 24-h in vitro rumen incubation. Methods The tested full-fat meals included four HI and four TM meals obtained applying drying temperatures ranging from 30 °C to 70 °C, while the tested defatted meals consisted of five HI and two TM meals containing a residual EE content ranging from 4.7 to 19.7 g EE/100 g dry matter (DM). The applied statistical models (GLM ANOVA) tested the effects of insect species, drying temperature (full-fat meals) or EE content (defatted meals), and their interaction. Results Drying temperature had minor effects on in vitro ruminal digestibility and FA profile of rumen digesta. Irrespective of insect species, increasing the drying temperature led to a reduction of in vitro degradation of proteins from insect meals, as outlined by the significant decrease in ammonia production (−0.009 mmol/g DM and −0.126 g/100 g total N for each additional 1 °C). Irrespective of insect species, defatting increased total gas, volatile fatty acids (VFA) and CH 4 productions, and the proportions of total saturated and branched-chain FA in rumen digesta (+0.038 mmol/g DM, +0.063 mmol/g DM, +12.9 µmol/g DM, +0.18 g/100 g FA, and +0.19 g/100 g FA for each reduced 1 g EE/100 g DM, respectively), and reduced the proportion of total PUFA (−0.12 g/100 g FA). Conclusions The applied drying temperatures of full-fat insect meals are too low to exert impactful effects on rumen digestibility and FA biohydrogenation. Fat lowered fermentation activity, probably because of an inhibitory effect on rumen microbiota. The increased ruminal digestibility of defatted insect meals suggests that they can be more suitable to be used in ruminant nutrition than full-fat ones.

• Publisher: BioMed Central,Springer Nature B.V,Department of Veterinary Sciences,University of Turin,Largo P.Braccini 2,10095 Grugliasco,TO,Italy%Department of Agricultural,Forest and Food Sciences,University of Turin,Largo P.Braccini 2,10095 Grugliasco,TO,Italy%UMR 1213 Herbivores,Université Clermont Auvergne,INRAE,VetAgro Sup,63 122 Saint-Genès-Champanelle,France%Insect Research Centre,Inagro,leperseweg 87,8800 Rumbeke-Beitem,Belgium,BMC
• Subject: Agriculture / Ammonia / Animal Genetics and Genomics / Animal Physiology / Animals / Biodegradation / biohydrogenation / Biomedical and Life Sciences / Biotechnology / Black soldier fly / Chain branching / Circular economy / Defatted insect meal / defatting / digesta / Digestibility / Dry matter / Drying / Environmental impact / Ether extract / Fatty acid / Fatty acids / Feeds / Fermentation / Food Science / Full-fat insect meal / Hermetia illucens / In vitro methods and tests / Insects / Life Sciences / Meals / Microbiota / microorganisms / Nutrition / Nutrition research / Oils & fats / Polyunsaturated fatty acids / Proteins / Rumen / Ruminant nutrition / species / Statistical models / Temperature / Tenebrio molitor / total nitrogen / Variance analysis / Volatile fatty acids