Black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) ( Hermetia illucens ) have gained attention as a sustainable and nutritious alternative to conventional animal protein sources. Their conversion into protein-rich ingredients offers major opportunities for food, feed, and waste valorization. However, selecting suitable processing methods remains challenging, as each technique differently affects product quality, safety, and environmental performance. This review synthesizes recent advances in BSFL processing, structured around five key stages: killing, pre-treatment, drying, fat extraction, and protein extraction. An integrated process diagram is also provided to summarize critical operational targets across these stages and to highlight optimal processing pathways. Blanching, achieved by immersing larvae in boiling water (100 °C for 40 s; larvae-to-water ratio ≈ 1:10), reduced microbial load by 3–5 log CFU/g (wet basis), inhibited lipase activity, and preserved lipid integrity dominated by triacylglycerols for up to two months during frozen storage (− 20 °C). Scalding, applied as a thermal pre-treatment before drying, shortened drying time by up to 80.6% through enhanced water evaporation. In drying applications, hybrid solar–electric drying conducted at 40–70 °C produced protein contents of 38.14–42.33% (dry matter, Kjeldahl method) and reduced drying duration from 24 h at 40 °C to 2 h at 70 °C, while improving energy use efficiency. Cold pressing generated lipid fractions with less than 10% residual fat and limited oxidation, while alkaline extraction produced protein recoveries of around 96% and is reported in recent studies to exhibit comparatively lower environmental impacts than enzyme-assisted extraction. Overall, this review consolidates evidence on BSFL processing performance and identifies promising approaches supporting industrial-scale implementation of insect-based protein systems.
Lehmad et al. (Mon,) studied this question.