Insect Micro-Livestock for Feed Supply

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Nutrition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2023) | Viewed by 3910

Special Issue Editor

Department of Health, Animal Science and Food Safety, University of Milan, 20134 Milano, Italy
Interests: feed evaluation; alternative feed ingredient; animal nutrition; sustainable animal nutrition

Special Issue Information

Insects are regarded as interesting alternative protein/energy sources for animal diets and are expected to be increasingly used around the globe as a replacement for conventional feedstuffs. From a circular economy point of view, “micro-livestock” farming represents a way by which food waste biomasses/streams can be upgraded to valuable feed ingredients. In addition to that in insects, interest in earthworms as an alternative feed source is also increasing, with the waste being able to be used as a rich fertilizer. Despite the great potential of insects as an alternative feed ingredient, there are many challenges related to micro-livestock farming, from definition of the optimal rearing condition and automation up to post-harvesting processing and feed production with the final purpose of producing safe food and feed. 

Original manuscripts that address any aspects of micro-livestock farming are invited for this Special Issue. Specifically, topics of interest for this Special Issue are: insect production systems, including processing organic side streams operated using earthworms; challenges related to process optimization, engineering, automation, and security; genetics, nutrition, physiology, issues related to health and ethics of insects in micro-livestock farming; microbial and chemical contaminant management; role of insect rearing condition and processing in defining nutritional features, including implication for feed technology; and micro-livestock role in circular economy and environmental sustainability.

Dr. Matteo Ottobon
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • insects
  • alternative feed ingredients
  • circular economy
  • sustainable feed
  • nutritional quality
  • feed safety

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

23 pages, 2088 KiB  
Review
Could Insect Products Provide a Safe and Sustainable Feed Alternative for the Poultry Industry? A Comprehensive Review
by Ayman Khalifah, Sara Abdalla, Mai Rageb, Lucianna Maruccio, Francesca Ciani and Karim El-Sabrout
Animals 2023, 13(9), 1534; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13091534 - 03 May 2023
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2904
Abstract
The planet is home to more than 2000 species of edible insects, some of which have been consumed as food for many years. Recently, edible insect products have been gradually increasing in several countries, such as Italy and Egypt, as novel feed resources [...] Read more.
The planet is home to more than 2000 species of edible insects, some of which have been consumed as food for many years. Recently, edible insect products have been gradually increasing in several countries, such as Italy and Egypt, as novel feed resources for humans and animals due to their availability, potential economic benefits, and high nutritive value. The insect industry can provide a new solution for livestock nutrition and offer many additional advantages, but there are obstacles to overcome, such as some nutritional organizations that forbid its usage. Nevertheless, previous research indicates that different insect species could be used safely as nutraceuticals in poultry farming to improve broiler growth performance (>3%) and layer egg production (>5%). Among these species, there are various products and extracts that can be used in poultry nutrition in a sustainable manner. This review provides an outline of insect composition, nutrient values, application in poultry feed, safety, and guidelines, and finally, the future perspectives of insects as an alternative feed source in poultry diets. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insect Micro-Livestock for Feed Supply)
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