"Insect oil is packed with essential fatty acids, minerals, vitamins and antioxidant compounds," said Bartosz Fotschki from the Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research at the Polish Academy of Sciences in the northeastern city of Olsztyn.
According to the researcher, the oil's composition makes it a valuable dietary supplement that could support human health while also helping to address global food security challenges.
Unlike conventional livestock, insects require far less land, water and feed to raise, and their production generates significantly fewer greenhouse gas emissions.
"That makes insect farming not just environmentally responsible, but also a promising element of sustainable development," said Fotschki, who works in the institute’s Biological Functions of Food team.
While eating insects—known as entomophagy—has a long tradition in many parts of the world, it is still new in Western cultures.
But interest is growing as policymakers and scientists look for solutions to food system pressures caused by climate change, population growth and resource scarcity.
Edible insect oil is typically extracted from high-protein, high-fat species such as the house cricket (Acheta domesticus), yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor), and black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens), which has been studied extensively and used in recycling of organic waste and generating animal feed.
The oil yield depends on both the species and the extraction method. For instance, producing one kilogram of oil from dried black soldier fly larvae requires around 4 to 5 kilograms of larvae.
Despite its nutritional advantages, cultural attitudes remain a major hurdle to consumer acceptance in Europe.
"To increase acceptance, insect oils are often blended with plant-based oils or used in processed foods like cookies and snacks, where the source is less visible," Fotschki noted.
European Union regulations currently permit the use of three insect species in food production: beetles, locusts and yellow mealworms.
In January 2023, the EU expanded its approved list to include powder made from house crickets, which can now be used in a variety of products such as bread, pizza, pastries and ready-made meals.
Due to its promising composition and ease of production, black soldier fly oil is now a focus of international research.
At the Olsztyn-based institute, scientists have launched Poland’s first dietary study using insect oil, investigating its effects on the digestive tract and liver.
Researchers aim to better understand how the oil influences gut microbiota and lipid metabolism.
A detailed overview of these findings was published in Academia, the popular science magazine of the Polish Academy of Sciences.
(rt/gs)
Source: PAP