Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens) Larvae Protein Derivatives: Potential to Promote Animal Health

SIMPLE SUMMARY: In European countries, black soldier fly larvae (BSF) proteins are gaining rapid acceptance as high value protein ingredients in pet food and aquaculture feed formulations. BSF protein derivatives (proteins and protein hydrolysates) contain a significant share of short-chain peptides that are known to possess antioxidant behavior. In the present study, the in vitro antioxidant potential of BSF protein derivatives was analyzed using five different models. Chickenmeal and fishmeal are commonly used in pet food and aquaculture feed formulations and hence were used as industrial benchmarks. The results obtained during this study show that chickenmeal and fishmeal offer little or no advantage in protecting animal cells against the oxidative damage resulting from neutrophils and myeloperoxidase response. Moreover, chickenmeal and fishmeal even show pro-oxidant responses in some of the models tested during this study. It was found that the BSF protein derivatives used in this study could be effective in protecting the animal cells from oxidative damage as a consequence of immune response. ABSTRACT: European legislation permits the inclusion of insect proteins in pet and aquaculture diets. Black soldier fly larvae (BSF) are one of the most actively produced species due to their low environmental impact and nutritional characteristics. BSF protein derivatives (proteins and protein hydrolysates) contain a substantial amount of low molecular weight peptides that are known to possess antioxidant potential. In this study, the in vitro antioxidant potential of commercial BSF proteins and protein hydrolysates was investigated for (1) radical scavenging activity, (2) myeloperoxidase activity modulation, and (3) neutrophil response modulation. Chickenmeal and fishmeal are commonly used in pet food and aquaculture formulations. Hence, both were used as industrial benchmarks during this study. The results indicate that fishmeal and chickenmeal are ineffective at suppressing the oxidative damage caused by neutrophil response and myeloperoxidase activity. Fishmeal and chickenmeal even exhibit pro-oxidant behavior in some of the models used during this study. On the other hand, it was found that BSF protein derivatives could be effective in protecting against the cellular damage resulting from neutrophil and myeloperoxidase activities. The outcomes of this study indicate that BSF protein derivatives could be potentially included in pet food and aquaculture feed formulations as health-promoting ingredients.