A First Attempt to Produce Proteins from Insects by Means of a Circular Economy

Abstract

The worldwide growing consumption of proteins to feed humans and animals has drawn a considerable amount of attention to insect rearing. Insects reared on organic wastes and used as feed for monogastric animals can reduce the environmental impact and increase the sustainability of meat/fish production. In this study, we designed an environmentally closed loop for food supply in which fruit and vegetable waste from markets became rearing substrate for Hermetia illucens (BSF— black soldier fly). A vegetable and fruit-based substrate was compared to a standard diet for Diptera in terms of larval growth, waste reduction index, and overall substrate degradation. Morphological analysis of insect organs was carried out to obtain indications about insect health. Processing steps such as drying and oil extraction from BSF were investigated. Nutritional and microbiological analyses confirmed the good quality of insects and meal. The meal was then used to produce fish feed and its suitability to this purpose was assessed using trout. Earthworms were grown on leftovers of BSF rearing in comparison to a standard substrate. Chemical analyses of vermicompost were performed. The present research demonstrates that insects can be used to reduce organic waste, increasing at the same time the sustainability of aquaculture and creating interesting by-products through the linked bio-system establishment.

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

“…Hermetia illucens larvae have been suggested to have an important role to play in the framework of the circular economy by recycling resources that are normally eliminated or that do not find a reallocation in the food chain [18,43,44]. Larvae of this fly can feed on a wide range of organic substrates characterized by a different content of nutrients producing high-rich protein feed for livestock [16,31,45,46].…”

Partially Defatted Tenebrio molitor Larva Meal in Diets for Grow-Out Rainbow Trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum): Effects on Growth Performance, Diet Digestibility and Metabolic Responses

“…Compared to conventional livestock, the rearing of insects to produce animal feeds offers several ecological and economic advantages, because insects grow and reproduce easily, generate low greenhouse gas emissions and can be reared on discarded organic by-products [8,9]. Moreover, rearing insects on bio-waste and organic side streams meets the recycling principles of the circular economy, thus reflecting the efforts of the EU to develop a sustainable, resource-efficient, low carbon and competitive economy [10,11].…”

Black Soldier Fly Larvae Adapt to Different Food Substrates through Morphological and Functional Responses of the Midgut

“…Our choice was motivated by the challenging nature of fruit and vegetable waste as raw material for BSF-mediated bioconversion processes [ 22 , 23 ]. Although nutritionally poor, it has been successfully used to rear H. illucens larvae [ 10 , 11 , 24 ] and strategies to reduce or reuse this valuable biomass are already underway [ 22 , 23 , 25 ]. In addition, fruit and vegetable waste is produced in large amounts by large-scale retail trade and wholesale markets, and it is allowed by the European Union as a rearing substrate for insects destined for fish feed (EU Regulation 2017/893) [ 26 ].…”