How BSFL-Derived Palatants Are Redefining Shrimp Feed Innovation

Feeding trials with Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) are increasingly showing that insect-derived additions—particularly from black soldier fly larvae (BSFL)—aren’t just alternative protein sources. They offer powerful improvements in palatability, feed intake, and even stress tolerance. In this post, we dig into the latest research, what’s making these palatants so potent, and practical ways shrimp producers and BSF farmers can leverage them right now.

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What Recent Data Shows

A ground-breaking trial by Innovafeed evaluated diets containing 3% BSFL-derived palatant and compared them to a control diet and a benchmark diet with 3% squid meal. Over 17 days, shrimp fed the BSFL diet increased feed intake by 7.56%, while those with the squid meal achieved 11.59%. Although the squid meal appeared to give a larger boost, confidence intervals overlapped enough that the BSFL palatant’s performance was statistically comparable to squid meal when it came to feed intake per unit body weight. Importantly, feed efficiency (how much growth per amount eaten) held steady across BSFL, squid, and control diets. (fishfarmingexpert.com{:rel=“nofollow”})

Separately, when shrimp diets were supplemented with a Black Soldier Fly Ingredient (BSFI) derived from defatted BSFL meal at levels of 4.5%, 7.5%, and 10.5%, all three levels enhanced growth performance, specific growth rate (SGR), and feed conversion ratio (FCR) relative to a no-BSF control diet over a 28-day feeding period. Mortality was not impacted, and shrimp showed better weight gain and more efficient feed use. However, under disease or salinity stress, BSFI inclusion didn’t significantly alter responses compared to controls. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov{:rel=“nofollow”})

In addition to palatant and BSFI trials, a wide body of work on BSFL meal itself (whether defatted or full-fat, partial fishmeal replacement) shows that shrimp tolerate moderate replacement levels well—with examples of 25–30% replacement of fishmeal achieving good or improved performance. Higher replacement levels often run into issues related to lipid profile or digestibility but can still provide immune or microbiota benefits when formulated properly. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov{:rel=“nofollow”})

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Why BSFL Palatants Work—Behind the Science

Several biochemical and physiological mechanisms seem to underlie why BSFL additions are making such noticeable differences in shrimp feeding behavior and performance:

• Free amino acids, short-chain peptides, nucleotides: These water-soluble compounds are key triggers for feeding stimulus (“phago-stimulants”). Studies comparing BSFL protein hydrolysates at low inclusion (1–2%) with traditional marine additives like squid meal or krill oil found BSFL hydrolysates outperformed these marine sources in terms of palatability and preference. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov{:rel=“nofollow”})

• Lower chitin load and balanced lipids: Defatted BSFL products tend to have more acceptable chitin content, improving digestibility. Shrimp show good protein and dry matter digestibility when chitin levels are modest, particularly with careful formulation. Excessive lipids or imbalanced fatty acid profiles (especially low in EPA/DHA) can temper performance. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov{:rel=“nofollow”})

• Health-promoting bioactives: Chitin, antimicrobial medium-chain fatty acids (notably lauric acid), and certain peptides may modulate immune responses or gut microbiota, adding functional value beyond basic nutrition. In challenge trials, BSFL-supplemented diets helped maintain survival and sometimes boosted disease resistance at moderate inclusion levels. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov{:rel=“nofollow”})

• Sustainability of production chains: BSFL farming provides steadier supply, less dependence on marine fisheries, and often lower environmental impact. As scale and processing technology improve, cost per functional unit (like a phagoifier or palatant value) may approach or undercut marine ingredients. The Innovafeed trial emphasizes this potential. (fishfarmingexpert.com{:rel=“nofollow”})

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Things to Watch: Constraints and Gaps

While the data is promising, researchers and industry practitioners should be aware of several nuances:

• Optimal inclusion levels vary: In palatant trials, 3% addition delivered good results. With BSFI, 7.5–10.5% gave better performance. But pushing BSFL meal or functional ingredients much higher without balancing other nutrients often leads to diminished returns or risks in growth or body composition. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov{:rel=“nofollow”})

• Species, stage, and environmental context matter: Juvenile shrimp respond differently than postlarvae or broodstock. Water quality, salinity stress, pathogen load—all influence how nutritive or functional features of BSFL-derived ingredients express themselves in performance. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov{:rel=“nofollow”})

• Lipid and fatty acid limitations: Many BSFL meals, especially non-defatted ones, are low in long-chain omega-3’s (EPA/DHA), which are often needed for optimal health, immune response, or flesh quality. Designers must consider supplementation or mixing with ingredients rich in these lipids. (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov{:rel=“nofollow”})

• Cost and processing: Effective palatants require careful processing (e.g. hydrolysis, defatting, peptide extraction) that can raise costs. Scale, purity, consistency in insect meal supply, and regulatory approvals remain logistical and economic hurdles in many regions. These are being addressed but are still real. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov{:rel=“nofollow”})

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Practical Recipes for Producers & BSF Farmers

If you’re in BSF production or shrimp feed formulation, here are actionable steps to integrate this innovation:

1. Start with trial levels: Incorporate around 1–3% BSFL protein hydrolysate or palatant in feed batches to test for feed intake improvements. Use 3% for BSFL palatant (as in Innovafeed’s trial) to compare with traditional marine palatants like squid meal. Check feed intake/day per weight.

2. Use defatted BSFL meal when replacing fishmeal: At 20–30% fishmeal replacement, using defatted BSFL meal tends to give better results, especially when supplementing essential fatty acids and balancing chitin content.

3. Monitor health and immunity: Measure survival under stress, histological parameters, disease challenge outcomes (e.g. Vibrio, WSSV), and immune gene expression—not only growth. These markers help capture benefits visible only under challenge or stress.

4. Optimize processing of insect ingredients: Hydrolysis (to free up peptides and AA), defatting (to reduce high lipid content and improve shelf-life), consistent rearing substrate and larvae age are all critical for reproducible palatant effect.

5. Evaluate supply chain and cost flow-through: Compare cost of BSFL palatant or functional ingredient against squid, krill, or fish protein hydrolysates. Factor in stable supply, transportation, post-harvest processing, regulatory compliance. Sometimes the cost per kilo might be higher but the cost per unit of growth or feed conversion can make insect ingredients competitive.