This study evaluated the accumulation of polyphenols of black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) fed different organic wastes commercially produced and evaluated those larvae as feed additive through cellular antioxidant response and proliferation of Chinook salmon cell lines (SHK-1). The highest polyphenol concentration was achieved by larvae fed plant-based feeds, while the lowest concentration by those fed animal-based feeds. Cell lines analysis similarly revealed that larvae fed plant-based feeds significantly enhanced antioxidant response and cellular proliferation, with comparable results to the protective effects of Vitamin C. These results highlight that BSFL can be fed specific waste streams to produce a functional feed additive with bioactive properties that may enhance animal health through cellular antioxidation and proliferation.
Currently, insect meal is not able to partially or completely replace fish or soybean meal due to its market price, nutritional profile, and volume of production. This study fed BSFL five different waste streams locally and commercially produced: Kitchen Waste, Agricultural Waste, Aquaculture Sludge, Aquaculture Offal, and Mix. Larval rearing parameters such as biomass gain, survival, feed efficiency ratio, bioconversion, and nutritional profile were collected and analyzed. To further investigate the produced raw materials, total polyphenol concentration (Folin-Ciocalteu method) was evaluated, as well as using immortalized salmonid cell lines (SHK-1) to assess antioxidant response and cellular proliferation. Between larval rearing, polyphenols, antioxidant response, and cellular proliferation, clear significant differences were observed between plant and animal-based feeds, with the former showing better results. This novel and sustainable raw material could fall into the additive niche by providing antioxidation and proliferation effects.