Artificial selection of insects to bioconvert pre-consumer organic wastes. A review

Abstract

As the human population continues to grow, so too do the concerns regarding the sustainability of waste management from our food production systems. Faced with limited environmental resources for food production, issues related to food loss and waste are critical in mitigating challenges stemming from projected population growth and long-term food security and sustainability. The potential for using insects to consume organic waste materials and convert them into feed for animal, biofuels, and other valuable secondary products is gaining momentum as both a research discipline and as a business opportunity. Here, this ecosystem service is referred to as "insects as bioconverters of organic waste." Scientific reviews of this topic have mainly focused on the challenges associated with development of commercial scale systems. To compliment existing reviews, we address this exciting topic from an artificial selection perspective, as we review and discuss aspects associated with targeted breeding and adaptation of both gut microbial communities and host insects themselves. We describe the "ideal insect bioconverter," insects uniquely equipped to convert wastes into biomass and other valuable secondary products, and we present the current knowledge and existing research gaps towards the development of such organisms. We conclude that (1) targeted breeding of insects and their gut microbes can produce tailored insect lineages for bioconversion of specific waste streams; (2) research is needed to take full advantage of the existing insect diversity to identify new candidate species for bioconversion; and (3) further research into insect-gut microbial complexes will likely provide important insight into ways insects can be used as sustainable bioconverters of highly specialized waste streams.

Development of Tenebrio molitor (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) on Poultry Litter-Based Diets: Effect on Chemical Composition of Larvae

“…This type of selection varies based on the nutritional requirement of each species and maintains the balance of digestible carbohydrates and proteins ( Behmer 2009 , Morales-Ramos et al 2011 ), lipids and vitamins ( Schiff et al 1988 ). Self-selection can also occur according to the stage of the insect ( Deans et al 2017 , Fowles and Nansen 2019 ). In this study, we observed that T. molitor larvae sought to consume the ideal proportion of the mixture of the control diet with the poultry litter for their nutritional balance.…”

“…We know that insects are great recyclers of byproducts, Fowles and Nansen (2019) showed a review, about research on the growth performance and feeding conversion of these species, suggesting they alone are not sufficient to fully capitalize on the high diversity of unique organic wastes available for bioconversion.…”

Insects as food and feed, a new emerging agricultural sector: a review

“…Eight years selection in yellow mealworm led to increases of pupal size, growth rate, fecundity and feed conversion rates compared to the ancestral stain, although survival was lower (Morales-Ramos et al, 2019). Also, it may be possible to select lines of black soldier fly which could handle certain types of organic side-streams (Fowles and Nansen, 2019).…”

Food Security and Sustainability: Discussing the Four Pillars to Encompass Other Dimensions

“…Urban agriculture may be another solution; however, in this case, additional studies are needed for a more complete assessment [45]. Farming fish is another possibility to achieve more sustainable food security [46], as are the home food gardens [47], revitalising local food systems [48], using insects as bioconverters of organic waste [49], obtaining protein from food waste [50], food forestry [51], natural food [52], better governance and conception [53], hydroponic farm [54], organic farming [55], crops resilience assessments [56], wild edible greens [57], food loss, and waste management [58].…”