Impact of Insect Protein Meals on Pet Food Palatability

This article will focus on the incorporation of insect protein meals into pet food and the evaluation of its impact to palatability in dogs and cats' diets by analyzing the last public research available on this topic.

Insect Materials as Pet Food Ingredients

Last decade, the use of insect ingredients as balanced sources of proteins and fats has become a global reality. In each continent, we can find research centers and universities with projects focused on insect materials and their use in humans, livestock and pet food diets.
 

Big scale production has also improved, so big hurdles to becoming profitable for producers and affordable for customers are about to be overcome. This positions insect meals and oils as relevant sources of proteins and lipids for the pet food industry.²
 

Insect ingredients not only meet the nutritional requirements for pets but are also a great tool for claiming sustainability, lower carbon footprint and innovative ingredients, just to name a few.³
 

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While insect proteins can have a lower environmental footprint than most animal proteins, this is not as significant for the pet food industry, since pet foods mainly incorporate low environmental impact animal by-products from the rendering industry.⁴
 

Currently, the main sources of insect oils and meals are black soldier fly, mealworm and cricket. They are considered as good alternative protein sources and mostly have adequate amino acid levels, meeting the standard requirements for dogs and cats.⁵
 

In insect materials, protein is the nutrient composing the largest fraction, with values ranging from 40% to more than 60 % on a dry matter basis.
 

Fat makes up the second largest fraction, and generally, insect materials contain lower levels of ash compared to other animal protein sources (see Table 1). Insects are also packed with micronutrients, including iron, zinc, calcium, and B-vitamins, which are vital for various bodily functions.⁶
 

Table 1. Average nutrient composition of selected form of insects on a dry matter basis.

One key property of insect ingredients is that it is possible to modulate their nutritional composition by changing the feeding during the insect rearing. Several studies confirmed this by investigating the impact of different diets on the content and amino acid profile, lipids and other nutrients in insect protein meals and oils. Consequently, we could find insect meals and oils from the same species but with a different amino acid profile or fatty acid profile.¹² Therefore, insects represent versatile raw materials for the pet food industry with fast growing expectations in the market.
 

As per Rabobank's research of 2021, see Figure 1, the global volume of insect ingredients incorporated in feed and pet food is expected to grow up to 500K MT by 2030, predicting pet food to be the second largest market.¹³
 

Figure 1. Increase of the insect production and use in feed and pet food.

According to a review done in 2023, there are 43 insect-based pet food brands active around the globe, 35 of which are operating in Europe. Black soldier fly and mealworm are the most used species in pet foods.¹⁴
 

Despite the various advantages of using insect ingredients there are other aspects that must be evaluated when applying them in pet food. This includes potential allergic reactions, contamination risks during production, stability and shelf-life concerns and the ability to meet the nutritional needs of cats and dogs in a specific recipe.

Insect Ingredients Effect on Palatability

Another important factor and key to the success of a diet is 'palatability'. Palatability is a critical factor in pet food acceptance. Cats are notoriously picky eaters, and their willingness to consume food is influenced by its taste, aroma, and texture. Therefore, understanding how insect protein affects these sensory attributes is essential.
 

Insects have unique flavor profiles that can vary significantly between species. For instance, crickets have a nutty taste, while mealworms can be more neutral. These flavors can be both an advantage and a challenge when formulating palatable pet foods.
 

Edible insects were first promoted as a sustainable method for food waste bioconversion, and it seems this practice is already implemented in Asia. However, how the heterogeneity of food waste sources affect fat oxidation, flavor and palatability of the final insect meal for pets is not well understood.
 

To maintain or improve palatability, manufacturers use flavor enhancers, fats, and other ingredients to mask or complement the natural taste of insect protein. For example, adding chicken fat or liver flavor can make insect-based pet food more appealing.
 

Currently there is limited reliable research on palatability of insects in pet foods, but we expect more long-term research to be done in the coming years to allow a standard and better evaluation of this factor. However, we could find in the literature some interesting palatability studies thanks to a review done by Bosch and Swanson.¹⁵
 

Some studies found that regarding palatability of insects, dogs and cats showed different preferences depending on the insect species and the inclusion rate of the insect ingredients.
 

In 2018, Beynen reported that dogs showed a preference for dry foods containing black soldier fly larvae meal over those with yellow mealworm meal (intake ratio of 60:40; n=10), whereas cats preferred the yellow mealworm-based food (40:60; n=10). Both insect meals represented 30 % of the total crude protein in these diets.¹⁶
 

In 2020 Kilburn et al. showed that a banded cricket meal inclusion rate of 8, 16 or 24 % in extruded pet foods did not affect the intake in dogs (n=8).¹⁷
 

Regarding cats' palatability, Paßlack and Zentek published in 2018 that 3 out of 10 cats had refused a food containing 35 % black soldier fly meal and 3 cats had an intake between 78 and 87 % of the food offered.¹⁸
 

For a food containing 22 % black soldier fly meal, one cat vomited and then refused the food completely and two cats had lower food intakes (83 and 88%).¹⁷
 

In cats fed a diet containing 5 or 20 % of black soldier fly meal for 2 days (n=20 per diet), 38 and 54 % of food was consumed. None of the cats rejected the 5% black soldier fly diet, whereas one cat rejected the 20 % black soldier fly meal diet.

Future Prospects of Insect Protein in Pet Nutrition

Insect protein represents a promising frontier in pet nutrition, offering a nutritious alternative to traditional proteins. The impact of insect protein on pet food palatability is a critical factor that manufacturers are actively addressing through research, innovation, and consumer feedback.
 

While insect protein holds great promise, there are challenges that need to be addressed to ensure its widespread adoption in the pet food industry.

By Cristina Murcia García, PhD, Technical Service Manager | Kemin Nutrisurance EMEA
Source: Kemin Pet Food & Rendering

About the author
Dr. Cristina Murcia García gained her PhD in Chemistry with focus on red-ox reactions from the University of Bonn (Germany). Since then, she has specialized in managing oxidation in rendering and pet food products. She works as Technical Service Manager for Kemin Nutrisurance Europe where she provides solutions to improve raw materials and pet food safety and shelf-life.

References
1 World Resources Institute

2 FAO. 2022. Is the time ripe for using insect meal in aquafeeds? Bangkok

3 FEDIAF Fact sheet 2024. Insect-based ingredients in pet food

4 EFPRA – White Paper, Life Cycle Assessment of Rendered Products

5 Van Huis, A., Van Itterbeeck, J., Klunder, H., et al. 2013. Edible Insects: Future Prospects for Food and Feed Security. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

6 Rumpold, B.A., Schluter, O.K. 2013.Nutritional composition and safety aspects of edible insects. Mol. Nutr. Food Res. 57, 802–823; and *Kemin Internal Documents

7 Makkar, H. et al. 2014. State-of-the-art on use of insects as animal feed. Anim. Feed Sci. Technol. 197, 1–33

8 Rumpold, B.A., Schluter, O.K. 2013. Nutritional composition and safety aspects of edible insects. Mol. Nutr. Food Res.  57, 802–823

9 Ramos-Elorduy, J., Pino Moreno, J.M., Correa, S.C.1998. Edible insects of the state of Mexico and determination of their nutritive values. Zoologia, 69, 65–104.

10 Józefiak, D., Józefiak, A., Kiero ´nczyk, B., Rawski, M., Swi ˛atkiewicz, S., Długosz, J., Engberg, R.M. 2016. Insects—A natural nutrient ´ source for poultry—A review. Ann. Anim. Sci. 16, 297–313.

11 Kemin Internal documents

12 Biancarosa, I., Araujo, P., Biemans, D., Bruckner, C.G., Waagbø, R., Torstensen, B.E., Lock, E.J. 2017. Modulation of nutrient composition of black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae by feeding seaweed-enriched media. PLoS One.  Aug 24;12(8)

13 Rabobank research, 2021

14 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology, ISSN: 1226-8615, Vol: 26, Issue: 1, Page: 102020, 2023

15 Bosch, G., Swanson, K. S. 2021. Journal of Insects as Food and Feed, 7(5): 795-805

16 Beynen, A.C., 2018. Insect-based petfood. Creature Companion: 40-41

17 Kilburn, L.R., Carlson, A.T., Lewis, E. and Rossoni Serao, M.C., 2020. Cricket (Gryllodes sigillatus) meal fed to healthy adult dogs does not affect general health and minimally impacts apparent total tract digestibility. Journal of Animal Science 98: 1-8.

18 Paßlack, N. and Zentek, J., 2018. Akzeptanz, Verträglichkeit und scheinbare Nährstoffverdaulichkeit von Alleinfuttermitteln auf Basis von Hermetia-illucens-Larvenmehl bei Katzen. Tierärztliche Praxis Kleintiere 46: 213-221