Insect farming for feed: yeast probiotics solutions

After millions of years of free-life evolutionary success, insects’ massive production has resulted in health challenges for domesticated colonies, and for insect producers the necessity to implement practices to improve productivity from this new kind of ‘livestock farming’.

Insects as sustainable alternative proteins

Beekeeping and silkworm production have been examples of this practice for hundreds of years. More recently, Mediterranean Fly production has emerged as a modern example for biological control proposes. Insects that are produced as a new source of protein are a further example.

As these industries grow in size, new health and production issues are expected to arise, making business sustainability for the species more challenging. Our well recognised probiotics and primary yeast products, backed by years of research, are driving us towards our goal of providing solutions that maximise insect productivity and therefore contribute to food security and natural resource sustainability.

Zootechnical performance

Performance improvement in both adults and larvae is an objective that can be reached by using high quality and sustainable nutrition to maximise productivity through increased laying rates, egg hatching and growth.

The growth performance of Black Soldier Fly (BSF) and Yellow Meal Worm (YMW) was boosted when 0.2% of Actisaf^® was added to feeding media.

Health management

Health could be a critical issue in free-life insect species with a long history of domestication, as well as in newly domesticated insects that are reared under confinement in large-scale production units. In both cases, the stress caused by environmental conditions and changes in feeding regimes, could put a brake on the species’ natural defences against microorganisms, or modify gut probiota causing mortalities and morbidities, resulting in significant losses.