Résumé
The aim was to study whether provitamin A (proVA), which can bioaccumulate in black 27 soldier fly larvae (BSFL), is bioavailable and can restore VA status in mammals. A model for 28 studying the metabolism of this vitamin, the gerbil, was either fed a standard diet (C+ group), a 29 diet without VA (C-), a diet in which VA was provided by β-carotene (β-C) from sweet 30 potatoes (SP), or a diet in which VA was provided by β-C from BSFL that had been fed sweet 31 potatoes (BSFL). The animals were killed at the end of the supplementation period and β-C, 32 retinol and retinyl esters were measured in plasma and liver. As expected β-C was not detected 33 in plasma and liver of the C+ and C- groups. β-C concentrations were lower (p < 0.05) in 34 plasma and liver of the BSFL group as compared to the SP group. Liver retinol and retinyl ester 35 concentrations were lower in the C- group than in all the other groups (p < 0.05). These 36 concentrations were not significantly different in the C+ and SP groups while they were lower 37 in the BSFL group (p < 0.05 for retinyl oleate and retinyl linoleate). In total, the liver stock of 38 retinol equivalent was almost twice lower in the BSFL group than in the SP group. Thus, β-C 39 present in the BSFL matrix is bioavailable and capable of improving VA status, but this matrix 40 decreases its effectiveness by a factor of around two compared to the sweet potato matrix.