Black Soldier Fly as an Alternative Protein: A New Insight in Poultry Industry

Proteins are one of the important macromolecules that make living systems. Proteins play important roles in the structure and function of the cells. Additionally, proteins supply living organisms with nitrogen and carry out their metabolic activities. Today, the world’s population is increasing. It is predicted that by 2050, the world population will exceed 10 billion people. This increase in population will increase the need for food. Proteins, as the most expensive materials in food formulations, form an important part of nutritional resources, so the need for protein is increasing day by day. The budget limitations, along with the increase in need for food production, raise the importance of using new sources of protein supply in livestock and poultry industries. Alternative protein sources must contain appropriate amino acid composition to provide the food consumers with adequate necessary amino acids. Also, these methods should be done at the lowest production cost and the lowest amount of environmental destruction. So far, various alternatives for protein have been investigated. Some of these alternatives are bacteria, insects, algae, yeasts, and fungi. Each of them has its advantages and disadvantages. Nowadays, black soldier flies, insects with acceptable protein contents, have received much attention. In this article, we will discuss the pros and cons of using black soldier fly as an alternative source of protein in the poultry industry.