Larval dietary wheat germ oil influences age-specific protein expression in adults of the oriental fruit fly

► Wheat germ oil (WGO) in larval diets alters protein expression in adult fruit flies. ► The WGO effect is expressed differentially as adults mature from 0 to 12 days. ► The WGO effect is highest at day 8, when females begin reproductive maturation. ► Two proteins increased in expression by >10-fold in adults reared on WGO+ diets. ► These may become biomarkers of nutritional deficiencies in fruit fly mass rearing.