Nutrient Recapture from Insect Farm Waste: Bioconversion with Hermetia illucens (L.) (Diptera: Stratiomyidae)

Costanza Jucker, Daniela Lupi, Christopher Douglas Moore, Maria Giovanna Leonardi and Sara Savoldelli
Additional contact information
Costanza Jucker: Department of Department of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences, University of Milan, Via Celoria 2, 20133 Milan, Italy
Daniela Lupi: Department of Department of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences, University of Milan, Via Celoria 2, 20133 Milan, Italy
Christopher Douglas Moore: School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE12 5RD, UK
Maria Giovanna Leonardi: Department of Department of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences, University of Milan, Via Celoria 2, 20133 Milan, Italy
Sara Savoldelli: Department of Department of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences, University of Milan, Via Celoria 2, 20133 Milan, Italy

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-14

Abstract: Hermetia illucens is an efficient bioconverter able to grow on various different organic materials, producing larvae, which are a good source of protein and fat with applications in the animal feed and biochemical industries. This fly’s capacity to reduce huge amounts of waste presents an interesting opportunity to establish a circular food economy. In this study, we assessed the suitability of using organic wastes from cricket and locust farming to rear H. illucens . Larvae developed until adult emergence on all the wastes, with a mean survival of over 94%. Cricket waste allowed faster development of heavier larvae than locust waste. Substrate reduction was particularly interesting on cricket waste (<72%), while locust waste was only reduced by 33%. The nutritional composition of the larvae reflected that of the growing substrates with a high protein and fat content. These results demonstrate the potential of using H. illucens to reduce and valorise waste generated when farming various insects through the production of a larval biomass for use as a protein meal in animal feeds or industrial applications.

Keywords: black soldier fly; waste reduction; larval performance; insect farming (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (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)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/1/362/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/1/362/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:1:p:362-:d:304416

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().