Black soldier fly larvae as a new source of protein: 6 essential things to know

According to Celitron, black soldier fly larvae as an alternative protein source will continue to grow in popularity in the future. Here are 6 essential things everyone working in the agricultural industry should know about this alternative source of protein!

1. Black soldier fly larvae are an excellent source of protein for farm animals, pets, and humans as well!

Black soldier fly larvae (or BSFL for short) contain about 43% of protein when processed with the right equipment, but they are also a great source of essential amino acids and calcium as well. They play a large role in the healthy growth of farm animals and are excellent as a sustainable source of fish meal as well. They can also be used as the basis of other protein-rich products for human consumption.

2. Faster and cheaper protein production with black soldier fly larvae.

Getting clean, consumable food from cattle, swine, or chicken requires a much greater investment: they need more land, more water, more feed, and will still need to be processed to produce consumable meat. This process is a lot quicker and much less expensive with black soldier fly larvae, since their digestive system is so strong, that they can eat almost anything, and destroy all bacteria in their food. Feeding them is thus much cheaper, not to mention they require much, much less land and water.

3. Black soldier fly larvae reproduce at a much higher rate

Since black soldier fly larvae have such a high reproduction rate, you can expect a steady production of protein-rich products or fish meals. One single fly can lay about 500 eggs, and since they only live about 6 weeks, you can already prepare yourself for the next round of larvae!

4. Black soldier fly larvae require much less feed to produce the same amount of protein

Black soldier fly larvae eat twice their weight each day, which is why they are so packed with protein. Coupled with their fast reproduction rate, they only need about 1,5 kg of feed to produce 1 kg of protein-rich meat. This is almost 7 times less than in the case of cattle.

5. Black soldier fly larvae protein extraction is easy

Farming black soldier fly larvae is much easier compared to traditional farm animals since they practically harvest themselves by looking for a dry and dark place before the final stage of their life cycle. With the right insect protein processing equipment, you can then extract a valuable protein powder as well as their fat content, right at the site of your farm.

6. Black soldier fly larvae are a much more ethical and sustainable source of protein

Black soldier fly larvae will only continue to grow in popularity as an alternative source of protein, since farming them doesn’t nearly have as much of an impact as traditional farm animals do. They are also a much more ethical source of feed compared to soybeans since there is no need to make big changes to the land to farm them. One ton of black soldier fly larvae can be farmed for their protein can be farmed in a space as little as a SMART car!