Harnessing Edible Insect Bioactives for Gut Health: A Comprehensive Review on Chitin-Derived Prebiotics and...

The growing need for sustainable protein and functional food ingredients has made edible insects stand out as a flexible source of bioactives. Black Soldier Fly larva (BSFL) bioactives, such as chitooligosaccharides (COSs) and peptides, present potential benefits for gut health; nevertheless, their molecular pathways, clinical validation, and commercial scalability have yet to be thoroughly investigated. This study systematically analyzes current progress in BSFL bioactive extraction and characterization, emphasizing enzymatic and thermal processing, controlled enzyme development, and integrated supercritical fluid enzymatic pipelines. We assess preclinical and animal research that illustrates prebiotic modulation of Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus, and Faecalibacterium populations; antimicrobial peptide-mediated immune signaling; and antioxidant activity. Multi-omics frameworks that connect the microbial metabolism of COS to gut health help us understand how these processes function. A comparison of the regulatory environments for food and feed applications in the EU, North America, and Asia shows that there are gaps in human safety trials, harmonized standards, and techno-economic assessments. Finally, we suggest some next steps: randomized controlled human trials in groups with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and metabolic syndrome; standardized data integration pipelines for multi-omics; and life cycle and cost-benefit analyses of modular, vertically integrated BSFL biorefineries with AI-driven reactors, digital twins, and blockchain traceability. Addressing these issues will hasten the conversion of BSFL bioactives into safe, effective, and sustainable functional meals and nutraceuticals.