Insects as food: Enrichment of larvae of Hermetia illucens with omega 3 fatty acids by means of dietary modifications

Insects can become a key element of sustainable foods in the future. However, terrestrial insects have high levels of saturated fatty acids (SFA) and are very low in very long change polyunsaturated fatty acids (VLCPUFA), which could limit their use as food. In this experiment, we studied the modification of the FA composition of Hermetia illucens larvae by varying the composition of the larval feed. The effects of diets enriched in n-3 VLCPUFA on FA compositions of insect larvae were studied. Eight experimental groups of larvae were fed with an experimental diet for different durations before slaughter. The addition of n-3 to the larval diets resulted in an insect meal with three times more n-3 and therefore a lower n-6:n-3 ratio than those of the control insect meal. The amounts of n-3 VLCPUFA in Hermetia larvae could be altered by dietary manipulation in a short period of time.