Conversion of organic material by black soldier fly larvae: establishing optimal feeding rates
Top Cited Papers
- 5 June 2009
- journal article
- Published by SAGE Publications in Waste Management & Research: The Journal for a Sustainable Circular Economy
- Vol. 27 (6), 603-610
- https://doi.org/10.1177/0734242x09103838
Abstract
Larvae of the black soldier fly, Hermetia illucens (Diptera: Stratiomyidae), are voracious feeders of organic material and may thus be used in simple engineered systems to reduce organic waste in low- and middle-income countries. Controlled feeding experiments with standard fodder were conducted to assess the optimum amount of organic waste to be added to a CORS system (Conversion of Organic Refuse by Saprophages). A daily feeding rate of 100 mg chicken feed (60% moisture content) per larva resulted in an optimum trade-off between material reduction efficiency (41.8%, SE 0.61) and biomass production (prepupal dry weight: 48.0 mg, SE 2.0). Applied to market waste and human faeces, this corresponds to a potential daily feeding capacity of 3—5 kg/m2 and 6.5 kg/m2, respectively. In addition, H. illucens prepupae quality was assessed to determine their suitability to substitute fishmeal in animal feed production. The chitin-corrected crude protein content ranged from 28.2 to 42.5%, depending on the amount of food provided to the larvae. Based on our study, a waste processing unit could yield a daily prepupal biomass of 145 g (dry mass) per m2. We conclude that larvae of the black soldier fly are potentially capable of converting large amounts of organic waste into protein-rich biomass to substitute fishmeal, thereby contributing to sustainable aquaculture.Keywords
This publication has 31 references indexed in Scilit:
- Municipal solid waste characteristics and management in Allahabad, IndiaWaste Management, 2007
- Fish Offal Recycling by the Black Soldier Fly Produces a Foodstuff High in Omega‐3 Fatty AcidsJournal of the World Aquaculture Society, 2007
- A new reactor concept for sludge reduction using aquatic wormsWater Research, 2006
- Municipal solid waste management challenges in developing countries – Kenyan case studyWaste Management, 2006
- Tropical agricultural residues and their potential uses in fish feeds: the Costa Rican situationWaste Management, 2004
- Characterization and quantification of household solid wastes in a Mexican cityResources, Conservation and Recycling, 2003
- Rearing Methods for the Black Soldier Fly (Diptera: Stratiomyidae): Table 1Journal of Medical Entomology, 2002
- Selected Life-History Traits of Black Soldier Flies (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) Reared on Three Artificial DietsAnnals of the Entomological Society of America, 2002
- Soldier fly larvae as feed in commercial fish productionAquaculture, 1981
- The Nutritional Ecology of Immature InsectsAnnual Review of Entomology, 1981