How To Make Insects Into Animal Feed Pellets?

Insects are regarded as an alternative with high potential because the production of insects demands limited amounts of water and land, and they can add value to low-value by-products.

1. What Is The Commonly Used Insect Used In Animal Feed?

The black soldier fly or Hermetia illucens is the most common insect used in insect meal for animal feed. The dry weight of Black Soldier Fly larvae (BSFL) contains up to 50% crude protein(CP), and up to 35% lipids, and has an amino acid profile that is similar to that of fishmeal. They are recognized and utilized as alternative sources of protein for feed of poultry, pigs, and several species of fish and shrimp.

2. Why Use Insects As Feed For Animals?

Using insects as animal feed has additional benefits, not just for nutrition, but also in terms of animal health. Research is being carried out into whether insects can be helpful in reducing the use of antibiotics. For instance, you can boost the immune system of animals by feeding insects and chitin works as a probiotic. Also, the black soldier fly has been investigated for its antimicrobial properties, and, in pigs, the lauric acid from this fly can prevent diarrhea. These health effects make insects very interesting as animal feed and quite a lot of research is currently being done in this field.

3. Will Insect Meal Mainly Be Used As An Additive In Animal Feed?

I do indeed think it’s about mixing rather than replacing the entire feed with insects. Insects will always remain an ingredient, which is also usually the case with those used in fish feed. In some cases, you can replace fish meal with 100% insects, but in other cases, this proportion is only 25%. it depends on the species of fish.

4. The Feed Industry Is Very Cost-Driven, So How Will Insect Meal Fit In?

Using insects for animal feed can only be profitable by making production cheaper, for instance by growing insects on organic residual flows. However, such residual flows are also increasingly being used directly as feed for animals and will therefore become more expensive. The question is whether the insect business can compete with this use. That is quite a challenge, as the insect companies have had to invest heavily in production.

5. What Are The Regulations For The Use Of Insect Meal In Animal Feed?

In Europe, insect production is a relativity new and fast-emerging sector, but legislation has yet to catch up. Insects are classified as farmed animals and can only be fed with feed ingredients that are authorized for farmed animals, such as plant-origin material, eggs, milk, and derived products. This is creating several challenging issues. In 2017 the use of insects in aqua feed was authorised.

In the USA, BSFL can be used in feed for salmonids and poultry.

In Canada, whole dried insect larvae can be used in feed for salmonids, tilapia, chickens, ducks, geese, and turkeys.

6. How To Make Insects Into Animal Feed Pellets?

The use of insects as animal feed does not mean that insects replace all raw materials. Insects are always one of the raw materials. How to make insects into animal feed pellets? Because insects are only one of the raw materials, the steps and processes of the animal feed pellet production line will not be changed. The production process of the insect feed pellet factory is still the grain crushing system, mixing system, granulating system, screening system, and cooling packaging system.

Herm Machinery is a well-known manufacturer engaged in feed pellet machinery and equipment, with a history of 28 years. The animal feed pellet machine and feed pellet production line equipment produced are exported to 113 countries and regions. If you are interested in an insect feed pellet machine or insect feed production equipment, please leave us a message!