Sonntag Enno, Vidal Alix, Aulrich Karen, Grimm Daniel, Rahmann Gerold, Van Groenigen Jan Willem, van Zanten Hannah, Parodi Alejandro
Thuenen Institute of Organic Farming, Trenthorst 32, 23847, Westerau, Germany; Farming Systems Ecology Group, Department of Plant Sciences, Wageningen University & Research, P.O. Box 9101, 6700 HB, Wageningen, the Netherlands; Soil Biology Group, Department of Environmental Sciences, Wageningen University & Research, P.O. Box 430, 6700 AK, Wageningen, the Netherlands.
Soil Biology Group, Department of Environmental Sciences, Wageningen University & Research, P.O. Box 430, 6700 AK, Wageningen, the Netherlands.
J Environ Manage. 2025 Jun;385:125325. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.125325. Epub 2025 May 8.
Earthworm farming offers a sustainable method to convert organic residual streams into high-quality edible protein, enhancing nutrient recycling and food systems circularity. This study evaluates the effectiveness of earthworm farming in upcycling protein from maize stover through two pathways: directly feeding earthworms on maize stover or feeding earthworms spent mushroom substrate (SMS) derived from oyster mushroom cultivation on maize stover. Two earthworm species, Eisenia fetida and Eudrilus eugeniae, were farmed in mesocosms for 37 days and assessed for their biomass gain, protein yield, and essential amino acid composition. Results show significantly enhanced biomass gains when earthworms were fed SMS compared to maize stover alone, attributed to the lower carbon-to-nitrogen (C/N) ratio of SMS. E. fetida demonstrated 19.7 % higher total amino acid content, while the amino acid profiles of both species were nutritionally relevant, especially for lysine and tryptophan-critical for regions like Sub-Saharan Africa experiencing protein deficiencies linked to maize-based diets. Using Ugandan maize stover yields, we estimated that consecutive oyster mushroom and earthworm farming could upcycle up to 29 kg of crude protein per hectare annually, enhancing protein upcycling by 115 % compared to mushroom cultivation alone and by 238 % compared to direct stover-to-earthworm conversion. This highlights that, despite practical and logistical challenges, this waste-to-protein pathway offers significant potential for small-scale producers in resource-limited settings to enhance food security and profitability. Further research to optimize feed-specific stocking rates, and develop cost-effective technologies for small-scale production in Sub-Saharan Africa is essential to maximize protein upcycling and scalability.
蚯蚓养殖提供了一种可持续的方法，可将有机残余物转化为高质量的可食用蛋白质，增强养分循环利用和食品系统的循环性。本研究通过两条途径评估了蚯蚓养殖在将玉米秸秆中的蛋白质升级利用方面的有效性：直接用玉米秸秆喂养蚯蚓，或用在玉米秸秆上栽培平菇产生的菌糠喂养蚯蚓。将两种蚯蚓，即赤子爱胜蚓和尤氏枝蚓，在中型生态系统中养殖37天，并评估它们的生物量增加、蛋白质产量和必需氨基酸组成。结果表明，与单独用玉米秸秆喂养相比，用菌糠喂养蚯蚓时生物量显著增加，这归因于菌糠较低的碳氮比。赤子爱胜蚓的总氨基酸含量高出19.7%，而两种蚯蚓的氨基酸谱在营养方面都具有相关性，特别是对于赖氨酸和色氨酸而言——在撒哈拉以南非洲等地区，这些氨基酸对于因以玉米为主食而蛋白质缺乏的人群至关重要。利用乌干达玉米秸秆产量，我们估计连续进行平菇和蚯蚓养殖每年每公顷可将多达29千克的粗蛋白升级利用，与单独种植平菇相比，蛋白质升级利用率提高了115%，与直接将秸秆转化为蚯蚓相比提高了238%。这突出表明，尽管存在实际和后勤方面的挑战，但这种从废物到蛋白质的途径为资源有限环境中的小规模生产者提高粮食安全和盈利能力提供了巨大潜力。进一步开展研究以优化特定饲料的放养率，并为撒哈拉以南非洲的小规模生产开发具有成本效益的技术，对于最大限度地提高蛋白质升级利用率和扩大规模至关重要。
