Bioactive properties of insect products for monogastric animals – a review

Insects or products derived from insects are considered as a valuable feed ingredient for aquaculture, poultry, and pigs but also exert possible secondary effects of health stimulators in livestock as reported in literature. Health benefits attributed to insects can create additional value in the insect chain. Three categories of bioactive compounds in insects are reported in this desk study: antimicrobial peptides (such as α-helical peptides, cysteine-rich peptides, proline-rich peptides, glycine-rich peptides), fatty acids (especially lauric acid), and polysaccharides (especially chitin and chitosan). The review summarises the recent literature on these three categories. Antimicrobial properties or immuno-modulating effects may contribute to reduce the use of antibiotics and to avoid antibiotic resistance in livestock when these insect products are included in animal diets. Furthermore, antioxidant capacity of insect-proteins might reduce collateral tissue damage. Health stimulating effects of insect products may result in additional applications of insect products in animal feed for livestock.