Fat: A Recognized Resource Produced by Black Soldier Fly

Obviously, fat is something that most people try to avoid in their diets simply from a health perspective. However, fat in BSF is the new form of "black gold".... only it is "white gold" (please link references to oil industry). If not familiar with oil industry reference- maybe pop culture with the Beverly Hillbillies (a popular USA TV show in the 1960s I believe)?

Today- I wanted to draw your attention to a recent publication on methods for extracting fat from BSF. I thought industry would be interested in this paper given the fat is not necessarily the best for formulating diets for other animals, but it represents a resource that can extracted and developed into bio-energy.  

Ravi, H. K., M. A. Vian, Y. Tao, A. Degrou, J. Costil, C. Trespeuch, and F. Chemat. 2019. Alternative solvents for lipid extraction and their effect on protein quality in black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae. Journal of Cleaner Production 238: 117861.

A cool finding- they discuss a "green" solvent that can be used to extract the fat!

Insects as Food & Feed in the News!

Tis the Season! (USA)- a nice article in a university newspaper on insects as food.

Crickets in Our Bread (UK)- everyone seems to be enjoying cricket bread in the UK (a number of major chains carry this product).

Who Says Insects Can't Be a Dessert? (Mexico)- a great article on the cultural aspects of insects as food- a long heritage.

Author

Jeffery K. Tomberlin, PhD, Excited about Christmas!!!!!!
Director, EVO Conversion Systems, LLC
​Twitter: @FliesFacility