A Chemically Safe Way to Produce Insect Biomass for Possible Application in Feed and Food Production

Cristina Truzzi, Anna Annibaldi, Federico Girolametti, Leonardo Giovannini, Paola Riolo, Sara Ruschioni, Ike Olivotto and Silvia Illuminati
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Cristina Truzzi: Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e dell’Ambiente, Università Politecnica delle Marche, via Brecce Bianche, 60131 Ancona, Italy
Anna Annibaldi: Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e dell’Ambiente, Università Politecnica delle Marche, via Brecce Bianche, 60131 Ancona, Italy
Federico Girolametti: Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e dell’Ambiente, Università Politecnica delle Marche, via Brecce Bianche, 60131 Ancona, Italy
Leonardo Giovannini: Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e dell’Ambiente, Università Politecnica delle Marche, via Brecce Bianche, 60131 Ancona, Italy
Paola Riolo: Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Alimentari ed Ambientali, Università Politecnica delle Marche, 60131 Ancona, Italy
Sara Ruschioni: Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Alimentari ed Ambientali, Università Politecnica delle Marche, 60131 Ancona, Italy
Ike Olivotto: Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e dell’Ambiente, Università Politecnica delle Marche, via Brecce Bianche, 60131 Ancona, Italy
Silvia Illuminati: Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e dell’Ambiente, Università Politecnica delle Marche, via Brecce Bianche, 60131 Ancona, Italy

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 6, 1-15

Abstract: Black soldier fly ( Hermetia illucens , HI, Diptera, Stratiomydae) has great potential as a food and feed ingredient in the European Union (EU). The production of insects as livestock feed or as food ingredients requires strict monitoring of the content of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in the growth substrate, to meet the security requirements. This study aims to investigate the presence of PTEs, like cadmium, lead, mercury, arsenic, and nickel, in HI prepupae and in their growth substrates based on coffee roasting by-product and microalgae Schizochytrium sp. and Isochrysis sp. Analyses were carried out via graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry for Cd, Pb, Ni, and As, and via Direct Mercury Analyzer for Hg. All element concentrations found in growth substrates were below the legal limit of undesirable substances in animal feed (2002/32/EC). Elements concentrations in HI prepupae were in the range (mg kg −1 wet weight) of 0.072 to 0.084 for Cd, 0.018 to 0.026 for Pb, 0.010 to 0.032 for Hg, 0.036 to 0.047 for As, and 0.18 to 0.76 for Ni. Even if HI prepupae accumulated Cd, Pb, and Hg, our results indicated that the risk of exposure to PTEs from HI prepupae consumption is relatively low and in compliance with EU regulations.

Keywords: Hermetia illucens prepupae; black soldier fly; coffee silverskin; microalgae; potentially toxic elements; bioaccumulation; chemical hazard (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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