Diet Composition Influences Growth Performance, Bioconversion of Black Soldier Fly Larvae: Agronomic Value and In Vitro Biofungicidal Activity of Derived Frass

Abstract

In recent years, the larval stage of Hermetia illucens, commonly known as the black soldier fly (BSFL), has been used to promote the circularity of the agri-food sector by bioconverting organic waste into larval biomass which has been used as a livestock feed. A secondary byproduct of this process is frass that can be used as an organic fertilizer. This study compared two different plant-based diets on frass characteristics as well as larval performance, nutritional composition, and waste reduction efficiency. A fruit/vegetable/bakery waste-based diet supplemented with brewery waste (FVBB) was compared to a control Gainesville (GV) reference diet and fed to BSFL under standard conditions. The results demonstrated that NPK and some of the macro and micronutrients in both frasses are comparable to commercially available organic fertilizers. It was shown that microorganisms present in frass from the two diets inhibit the mycelial growth of several plant pathogens through the production of antifungal and/or anti-oomycetes compound(s) (antibiosis). This diet also had a positive effect on individual larval mass (162.11 mg), bioconversion rate (13.32%), and larval crude lipid (35.99% of dry matter) content. The BSFL reared on this diet reduced feedstock dry matter by 67.76% in a very short time (10 days), which is a promising solution for food waste management.

Large-scale production of house fly, Musca domestica (Diptera: Muscidae), larvae fed 3 manure types

“…For example, the concentrations of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) differ among manure types and the control diet. Specifically, the Gainesville diet is composed of 2.24%, 0.45%, and 1.33% of N, P, K, respectively (Arabzadeh et al 2022). The concentration of these elements in manure exceeds the concentrations found in the control diet such that, in general, swine manure has nearly twice as much N (4.26%), poultry manure contains over 5 times the amount of P (2.3–3.4%) and up to 3 times as much K (2.5–3.9%), and dairy manure contains over twice as much K (2.86%) (Chen et al 2003).…”

Waste reintroduced in the kitchen: life cycles inventories of representative waste-to-nutrition pathways

“…Frass residues stemming from BSF rearing and breeding stages were considered mixed prior composted. These residues are acknowledged to host great potential as organic fertilized materials (Arabzadeh et al, 2022), but usually require stabilization beforehand for presenting features comparable to immature compost (Guo et al, 2021). Frass composting operations were derived from Guo et al, (2021) and subsequent land application was modeled as for compost with a tailored LCI model available in Javourez et al, (2023).…”

Chronological and Carbohydrate-Dependent Transformation of Fatty Acids in the Larvae of Black Soldier Fly Following Food Waste Treatment

“…The insectile treatment is a novel method for food waste valorization, and the utilization of black soldier fly (BSF, Hermetia illucens ) has been studied and applied in recent years [ 3 , 4 ]. Larvae of black soldier fly (BSFL) can feed on food waste and convert solid waste into animal feed and organic fertilizer [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 ]. This process enables the efficient recycling of organic waste, which fulfills the United Nations’ concept of Sustainable Development Goal 12: Sustainable Consumption and Production [ 9 ].…”