BugBook: nutritional requirements for edible insect rearing
Abstract The rapid expansion of insect farming as a sustainable approach for protein production has led to an accumulation of published research on the use of low-value substrates as insect feed. However, compared to conventional livestock, there is a lack of fundamental knowledge about the nutritional physiology and requirements of insects. Such knowledge can lead to the development of optimised feeding substrates that boost insect performance and nutrient composition. In this article, the current knowledge on the nutritional requirements of the most relevant insects produced for food and feed is reviewed, and the methods and assays used to investigate the specific requirements are presented. This description of current knowledge on nutritional requirements of edible insects can be used to design suitable rearing diets and as a foundation to further our understanding of insect nutrition.
Authors
- G. Bosch (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5714-9506)
- Moritz Gold (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7285-6164)
- Jérémy Guillaume (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3678-3855)
- Thomas Spranghers (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6789-3531)
- Christos I. Rumbos (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3169-352X)
- Christos G. Athanassiou (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6578-4019)
- Wael Yakti (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2579-5586)
- Juan José Pascual (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7224-9978)
- D.G.A.B. Oonincx (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6728-4859)
- María Cambra‐López (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6130-9392)
- Christoph Sandrock (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2054-2216)
- Alejandro Parodi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1351-138X)
Institutions
- University of Thessaly (GR)
- University of Patras (GR)
- ETH Zurich (CH)
- Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (DE)
- Katholieke Hogeschool Vives (BE)
- Forschungsinstitut für Biologischen Landbau (CH)
- Department of Livestock Development (TH)
- University of Turin (IT)
- Universitat Politècnica de València (ES)
- Wageningen University & Research (NL)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Journal of Insects as Food and Feed
- Published
- 2025-05-22
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1163/23524588-bja10226
- Citations
- 5
- Primary Topic
- Insect Utilization and Effects
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 8.36