Black Soldier Fly Larvae Bioconvert Deoxynivalenol-Contaminated Feed Without Toxin Accumulation: Growth Performance, Residue Distribution, and Gut Microbiota Responses

Deoxynivalenol (DON) contamination poses a major threat to feed safety and animal health, yet safe and sustainable strategies for managing DON-contaminated feed remain limited. Black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) have shown strong tolerance to various mycotoxin-contaminated substrates and generally exhibit limited toxin bioaccumulation, making them a promising biological system for the valorization of contaminated organic resources. This study evaluated the effects of DON-contaminated feed on BSFL growth performance, bioconversion efficiency, DON residue distribution, and gut microbial responses. Results showed that DON exposure had no significant effect on larval survival, body length, or body weight, nor on the efficiency of conversion of digested feed, substrate reduction rate, or waste reduction index. Residue analysis showed that DON was below the limit of detection in larval samples after BSFL treatment, while the DON concentration in frass was approximately 81.10% lower than that in the initial substrate, indicating no detectable in vivo bioaccumulation. Gut microbiota analysis showed no significant changes in alpha diversity, with minor compositional trends in specific taxa. Firmicutes remained the predominant phylum, whereas Actinobacteriota increased. These findings provide new insights into host–microbe adaptations under mycotoxin stress and support further evaluation of BSFL-based strategies for managing DON-contaminated feed resources.