DOI: 10.11118/nutrinet2026_019
BLACK SOLDIER FLY FAT AS AN ALTERNATIVE LIPID SOURCE IN ANIMAL NUTRITION: COMPARATIVE FATTY ACID PROFILING AGAINST CONVENTIONAL FEED OILS AND FATS
- Ester Vargová1, Kristína Kolbaská1, Michal Rolinec1, Branislav Gálik1, Miroslav Juráček1, Milan Šimko1, Ondrej Hanušovský1
- 1 Institute of Nutrition and Genomics, Faculty of Agrobiology and Food Resources, Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Tr. Andrea Hlinku 2 949 76 Nitra, Slovakia
Black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) fat has recently gained attention as a potential alternative lipid source in animal nutrition because of its distinctive fatty acid profile and sustainable production potential. The present study compared the fatty acid composition and selected lipid quality indices of black soldier fly (BSF) fat with representative conventional feed and edible lipid sources, including soybean oil, rapeseed oil, coconut oil, palm oil, chicken fat, pig fat/lard, and marine and freshwater fish-derived lipids. Four BSF fat samples were analysed using gas chromatography with flame ionisation detection (GC-FID), while comparative literature-derived datasets were harmonised for calculation of the atherogenicity index (AI), thrombogenicity index (TI), and hypocholesterolemic/hypercholesterolemic ratio (h/H). BSF fat was characterised by elevated proportions of saturated fatty acids, particularly lauric acid (C12:0), while still retaining moderate levels of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids. Among the evaluated lipid sources, BSF fat showed the greatest similarity to coconut oil with respect to its medium-chain saturated fatty acid profile; however, its AI and TI values remained lower because of the higher proportion of unsaturated fatty acids. In contrast, soybean and rapeseed oils exhibited the most favourable lipid quality indices, whereas marine and freshwater fish-derived lipids were distinguished by higher polyunsaturated fatty acid content and lower n-6/n-3 ratios. Overall, the obtained results indicate that BSF fat occupies a unique compositional position among the evaluated lipid sources. Although its fatty acid profile is most similar to coconut oil because of the high proportion of saturated fatty acids, its lipid quality indices suggest an intermediate nutritional position between highly saturated tropical oils and more unsaturated lipid sources. These findings further support the growing interest in BSF-derived lipids as nutritionally relevant alternative lipid sources.
Klíčová slova: Hermetia illucens; insect-derived lipids; fatty acid profiling; lipid quality indices; alternative feed fats; animal nutrition; gas chromatography
stránky: 175-187, online: 2026
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