Abstract
Recently, much research has been oriented towards the influence of different food wastes and agricultural by-products on the final larval biomass and chemical composition of the insect species Hermetia illucens L. (Diptera: Stratiomyidae). However, there is a gap in the literature regarding the possible relationship between the feeding substrate of H. illucens larvae and chitin. In this context, in the present study, larvae of H. illucens derived from two populations (i.e., UNIPI and UTH), were reared on different diets composed of fruits, vegetables, and meat. Based on the results, the larval survival was high for all diets tested. Larval growth in terms of weight gain, larval length, and feed conversion ratio (FCR) depended on the composition of each diet. The chitin and chitosan composition of larvae, reared on different substrates, did not reveal significant differences. Given the fact that the feeding substrate represent a significant cost in the industrial production of insects, its correlation with a high value product (i.e. chitosan) is important. On the other hand, as the prepupal stage of H. illucens is currently used as animal feed, the metabolization of chitin by farmed animals when the larvae or prepupae were offered as feed could have adverse effects. Thus, depending on the final product that is to be produced, industries could benefit from the establishment of a suitable diet.
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Acknowledgements
Sincere thanks for their patience go to the staff of the Carrefour Express supermarket where the meat and vegetable scraps used during the experiment were purchased.
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This research was granted by the PRIMA program, project FEDKITO. The PRIMA program is supported by the European Union and by the Italian Ministero dell’Università e della Ricerca.
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Adamaki-Sotiraki C., Abenaim L, Mannucci A., Rumbos I.C., Bedini S., Castagna A., Conte G., Tognocchi M., Dolianitis V., Athanassiou G.C., and Conti B. revised the content and all agreed to submit the manuscript. Prior to submission, Adamaki-Sotiraki C., Abenaim L, Mannucci A., Rumbos I.C., Bedini S., Castagna A., Conte G., Tognocchi M., Dolianitis V., Athanassiou G.C., and Conti B. contributed to the conceptualization of the idea as well as to the design of the work and analysis of data. Moreover, Adamaki-Sotiraki C., Abenaim L, Mannucci A., Rumbos I.C., Bedini S., Castagna A., Conte G., Tognocchi M., Dolianitis V., Athanassiou G.C., and Conti B. approved the publication of this version and declared to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that inquiries regarding the accuracy or integrity of all parts of this work are investigated and resolved appropriately.
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Research activities in the present study involved invertebrate animals, in particular insects. Insect mass rearing was performed taking into consideration insect welfare, treating insects as sentient beings and ensuring insect well-being. Particularly, trials were conducted with the following insect species: Hermetia illucens (Diptera: Stratiomyidae). No ethical restrictions are applied for experimental and practical tests having as subject the above cited species. All the trials that involved insects were conducted by UNIPI and UTH.
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Adamaki-Sotiraki, C., Abenaim, L., Mannucci, A. et al. Performance of Hermetia illucens (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) larvae reared on organic waste diets and pupal chitin and chitosan yield. Environ Sci Pollut Res 31, 37366–37375 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-33545-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-33545-x