Open AccessArticle
Evaluation of Fermented Oat and Black Soldier Fly Larva as Food Ingredients in Senior Dog Diets
1
Animal Welfare Research Team, National Institute of Animal Science, Rural Development Administration, Wanju 55365, Korea
2
Division of Animal Nutrition and Physiology, National Institute of Animal Science, Rural Development Administration, Wanju 55365, Korea
3
Industrial Insect Division, National Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Rural Development Administration, Wanju 55365, Korea
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
These authors contributed equally to this work.
Academic Editor: Giacomo Biagi
Received: 22 November 2021
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Revised: 1 December 2021
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Accepted: 7 December 2021
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Published: 9 December 2021
Simple Summary
Along with concerns about the shortage of future food resources, the problem of ensuring a stable supply of feed materials is emerging. The rapid growth of the pet food market is also increasing the demand for new food ingredients, requiring the evaluation of their safety and nutritional value. Recently, insects and fermented foods are some of the materials that have entered the spotlight as potential future foods, and studies on their usefulness as food are being actively conducted. This study aimed to evaluate and verify the safety of fermented oat (Avena sativa) and black soldier fly larva (Hermetia illucens L.) when used in a dog food as part of the effort toward discovering suitable nutritionally excellent and functional food materials. Our results show that 10% fermented oat flour, 5% black soldier fly larva meal, or a combination thereof in the food did not negatively affect food intake, body weight, fecal status, skin condition, or hematological and biochemical parameters. Overall, our findings suggest that fermented oat and black soldier fly larva can be used as food ingredients for dogs.