Department of Food Science, Aarhus University, Agro Food Park 48, 8200, Aarhus N, Denmark; CiFOOD, Centre for Innovative Food Research, Aarhus University, Agro Food Park 48, 8200, Aarhus N, Denmark.
Aarhus University, Department of Animal Science, Blichers Alle 20, 8830, Tjele, Denmark.
Chemosphere. 2022 Aug;300:134420. doi: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2022.134420. Epub 2022 Mar 31.
The present study reports the biodegradation of polystyrene (PS) by mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) following different feeding regimes. Changes in lipids and protein were studied to evaluate possible differences in the growth and metabolic pathways of the insects depending on the diets. Thermo-gravimetric analysis of the excretions (frass) revealed a decrease in the molecular mass of the PS polymers. The insects' biomass contained less protein when PS was part of the diet, suggesting that the insects undergo a certain level of stress compared to control diets. The frass also contained lower amount of nitrogen content compared to that from insects fed a control diet. NH and other cations involved in biochemical processes were also measured in insects' frass, including potassium, sodium, magnesium, and calcium, combined with a small pH change. The decrease in the mineral content of the frass was attributed to increased cellular activity in PS-fed insects. A higher amount of ceramides and cardiolipins, biomarkers of apoptosis, were also found in association with PS consumption. It was concluded that the insects could metabolize PS, but this caused an increase in its stress levels.
本研究报告了在不同喂养方式下，黄粉虫（Tenebrio molitor）对聚苯乙烯（PS）的生物降解作用。研究了脂类和蛋白质的变化，以评估昆虫的生长和代谢途径可能因饮食的不同而产生差异。对排泄物（粪便）的热重分析表明，PS 聚合物的分子量有所降低。当 PS 成为饮食的一部分时，昆虫的生物量中蛋白质含量减少，这表明与对照饮食相比，昆虫会经历一定程度的压力。与对照饮食相比，粪便中的氮含量也较低。粪便中还含有昆虫在生化过程中涉及的其他阳离子，包括钾、钠、镁和钙，以及 pH 值略有变化。粪便中矿物质含量的减少归因于 PS 喂养昆虫的细胞活性增加。还发现与 PS 消耗有关的凋亡生物标志物神经酰胺和心磷脂的含量增加。研究结论认为，昆虫可以代谢 PS，但这会增加其压力水平。
