MINIstock: Model for INsect Inclusion in sustainable agriculture: USDA-ARS's research approach to advancing insect meal development and inclusion in animal diets

Authors: Robinson, Kelsy; Duffield, Kristin; Ramirez, Jose; Cohnstaedt, Lee; Ashworth, Amanda; Jesudhasan, Palmy; Arsi, Komala; Morales Ramos, Juan; Rojas, Maria - Guadalupe; Crippen, Tawni - Tc; Shanmugasundaram, Revathi; Vaughan, Martha; Webster, Carl; Sealey, Wendy; Purswell, Joseph - Jody; Oppert, Brenda; Neven, Lisa; Cook, Kimberly - Kim; Donoghue, Ann - Annie

Submitted to: Journal of Economic Entomology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/5/2024
Publication Date: 7/4/2024
Citation: Robinson, K., Duffield, K.R., Ramirez, J.L., Cohnstaedt, L.W., Ashworth, A.J., Jesudhasan, P., Arsi, K., Morales Ramos, J.A., Rojas, M.G., Crippen, T.L., Shanmugasundaram, R., Vaughan, M.M., Webster, C.D., Sealey, W.M., Purswell, J.L., Oppert, B.S., Neven, L.G., Cook, K.L., Donoghue, A.M. 2024. MINIstock: Model for INsect Inclusion in sustainable agriculture: USDA-ARS's research approach to advancing insect meal development and inclusion in animal diets. Journal of Economic Entomology. 117(4):1199-1209. https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toae130.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toae130

Interpretive Summary: Animal agriculture is under pressure to increase efficiency, sustainability, and innovation to meet the demands of a rising global population while decreasing adverse environmental effects. Feed cost and availability is one of the biggest hurdles to sustainable production. Current diets depend on grain and animal by-product protein sources for essential amino acids which have limited sustainability. Insects have arisen as an attractive, sustainable alternative protein source for animal diets due to their favorable nutrient composition, low space and water requirements, and natural role in animal diets. Additionally, insects are capable of bioremediating waste streams including agricultural and food waste, manure, and plastics helping to increase their sustainability. The insect rearing industry has grown rapidly in recent years and shows great economic potential. However, state-of-the-art research is urgently needed to overcome barriers to adoption in commercial animal diets such as regulatory restrictions, production scale issues, and food safety concerns. To address this need, the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) “MINIstock: Model for INsect Inclusion” project was created to bring together diverse scientists from across the world to synergistically advance insect meal production and inclusion in animal diets. Here, we provide a short review of insects as feed while describing the MINIstock project which serves as the inspiration for the JEE Special Collection “Insects as feed: Sustainable solutions for food waste and animal production practices.”

Technical Abstract: Animal agriculture is under pressure to increase efficiency, sustainability, and innovation to meet the demands of a rising global population while decreasing adverse environmental effects. Feed cost and availability is one of the biggest hurdles to sustainable production. Current diets depend on grain and animal by-product protein sources for essential amino acids which have limited sustainability. Insects have arisen as an attractive, sustainable alternative protein source for animal diets due to their favorable nutrient composition, low space and water requirements, and natural role in animal diets. Additionally, insects are capable of bioremediating waste streams including agricultural and food waste, manure, and plastics helping to increase their sustainability. The insect rearing industry has grown rapidly in recent years and shows great economic potential. However, state-of-the-art research is urgently needed to overcome barriers to adoption in commercial animal diets such as regulatory restrictions, production scale issues, and food safety concerns. To address this need, the USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) “MINIstock: Model for INsect Inclusion” project was created to bring together diverse scientists from across the world to synergistically advance insect meal production and inclusion in animal diets. Here, we provide a short review of insects as feed while describing the MINIstock project which serves as the inspiration for the JEE Special Collection “Insects as feed: Sustainable solutions for food waste and animal production practices.”