Effects of Killing Methods on Lipid Oxidation, Colour and Microbial Load of Black Soldier Fly (<i>Hermetia illucens</i>) Larvae

Black soldier fly (BSF) larvae represent a promising alternative ingredient for animal feed. Post-production processing can, however, affect their quality. This project aimed to optimize larval killing by comparing the effects on the nutritional and microbiological quality of 10 methods, i.e., blanching (B = 40 s), desiccation (D = 60 &#176;C, 30 min), freezing (F20 = &#8722;20 &#176;C, 1 h; F40 = &#8722;40 &#176;C, 1 h; N = liquid nitrogen, 40 s), high hydrostatic pressure (HHP = 3 min, 600 MPa), grinding (G = 2 min) and asphyxiation (CO₂ = 120 h; N₂ = 144 h; vacuum conditioning, V = 120 h). Some methods affected the pH (B, asphyxiation), total moisture (B, asphyxiation and D) and ash contents (B, <i>p</i> &lt; 0.001). The lipid content (asphyxiation) and their oxidation levels (B, asphyxiation and D) were also affected (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.001). Killing methods altered the larvae colour during freeze-drying and in the final product. Blanching appears to be the most appropriate strategy since it minimizes lipid oxidation (primary = 4.6 &#177; 0.7 mg cumen hydroperoxide (CHP) equivalents/kg; secondary = 1.0 &#177; 0.1 mg malondialdehyde/kg), reduces microbial contamination and initiates dehydration (water content = 78.1 &#177; 1.0%). We propose herein, an optimized protocol to kill BSF that meet the Canadian regulatory requirements of the insect production and processing industry.

Abstract licence: CC BY

• Nutritional Composition of Black Soldier Fly Larvae (Hermetia illucens L.) and Its Potential Uses as Alternative Protein Sources in Animal Diets: A Review · 2022

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