Vermiculture as a source of animal protein

Abstract

The paper presents a data analysis of the international scientific community on the issues of vermicultivation for the last 75 years. The authors considered terminology, the biochemical contents of earthworms’ tissues, production technology; distinguished 4 stages, 8 methods and biological aspects of their safety. The paper covers economic production characteristics. The results on the practical use of dry and paste vermiproducts have been summarized: feed additives in fishing (6 examples), poultry farming (8 examples), mammal breeding (3 examples), growth media for microorganisms (1 example). The benefits of vermiproducts as food supplements for humans have been explored. Vermi food contains a high amount of protein (64.5-72.9 % per dry weight), all essential amino- and fatty acids, calcium (cheese and milk), iron (10 times more than in soybeans).

Chemical Composition of Earthworm (Dendrobaena veneta Rosa) Biomass Is Suitable as an Alternative Protein Source

“…For nutritional reasons, the amount of protein is essential, and exogenous amino acids mainly determine its value. Due to their content, earthworms are classified as high-protein feeds comparable with fish, meat, and bone meal [ 7 , 45 , 46 ].…”

“…According to Antonova et al [ 7 ], the most crucial animal feed component is lysine, a combination of the amino acids methionine-cysteine and phenylalanine-tyrosine. No differences were found between D. veneta and E. fetida in lysine content, and content of the listed essential amino acids in D. veneta was high.…”

“…According to the McGuire [ 3 ], food production may double by 2030; however, factors limiting this include a constant decrease in area of agricultural land and a reduction in global freshwater resources, which makes animal breeding more difficult due to higher maintenance costs [ 2 ]. To satisfy the nutritional needs of the human population, a search for less conventional sources of nutrients is required, as in 2019, protein of animal origin provided only 55% of the total human needs in Europe [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ]. By contrast, the intensification of animal production has led to the search for a less expensive feed of the highest quality.…”

“…This process allows the transformation of segregated organic waste into biofertilizer-vermicompost, which can form a part of the circular economy [ 24 ]. However, the earthworm biomass produced can also be used as an alternative food source for animal and even human nutrition [ 7 ]. In studies evaluating the acceptance of rice wafers, either pure or enriched with earthworm protein, it transpired that social acceptance was mainly based on the way the information was presented on the label.…”