Franco Antonio, Pucciarelli Valentina, Hosseini Seyed Ali, Schmitt Eric, Bovera Fulvia, Scieuzo Carmen, Falabella Patrizia
Department of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Basilicata, Via dell'Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100 Potenza, Italy.
Spinoff XFlies s.r.l, University of Basilicata, Via dell'Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100 Potenza, Italy.
Insects. 2025 May 9;16(5):508. doi: 10.3390/insects16050508.
Food waste containing meat and fish presents a considerable environmental challenge due to regulatory constraints preventing its use in industrial insect farming. Although substrates derived from meat and fish are not currently approved for industrial insect feed production due to regulatory constraints, this study explores their potential in bioconversion through larvae. In this study, five different former foodstuffs containing meat and/or fish were tested to evaluate their suitability for BSFL rearing. The substrates included pizza with salami (PIZZA), cheeseburger (CHB), pasta Bolognese with meat (PASTA), chicken salad (CHISA), and fish salad (FISA). Results showed that BSFL successfully developed on all tested substrates. The highest performance was observed for FISA, with a total larval weight of 35.21 ± 3.91 g, dry matter yield of 11.21 ± 0.45 g, survival rate of 96.63 ± 0.40% and the most efficient feed conversion ratio (FCR, 4.11 ± 0.59). Heavy metal analysis revealed substantial bioaccumulation of lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) in larvae. In particular, larvae reared on PIZZA showed a Pb concentration of 4.68 μg/100 g, with a corresponding bioaccumulation factor (BAF) of approximately 1.5. Cadmium accumulation was most notable in larvae fed CHB, with a Cd concentration of 0.41 ± 0.33 μg/100 g and a BAF of about 2.1. Despite this bioaccumulation, all detected concentrations remained well below the regulatory limits set by the European Union for animal feed, indicating not only the feasibility of larvae in sustainable waste management but also its use as a safe protein source in animal feed. This research highlights the viability of integrating such food waste into insect bioconversion systems. With appropriate risk management, this practice could significantly improve nutrient recycling, waste management, and the circular economy, urging a regulatory review to allow broader substrate utilization. These positive outcomes underscore the potential of integrating currently restricted animal-derived food waste streams into -based bioconversion systems, unlocking additional value for the circular economy and contributing to more efficient waste management practices.
由于监管限制，含有肉类和鱼类的食物垃圾给环境带来了巨大挑战，这些限制阻碍了其在工业昆虫养殖中的应用。尽管由于监管限制，目前源自肉类和鱼类的底物未被批准用于工业昆虫饲料生产，但本研究探索了它们通过幼虫进行生物转化的潜力。在本研究中，测试了五种不同的含肉和/或鱼的废弃食物，以评估它们对黑水虻幼虫饲养的适用性。这些底物包括意大利香肠披萨（PIZZA）、芝士汉堡（CHB）、肉酱意大利面（PASTA）、鸡肉沙拉（CHISA）和鱼肉沙拉（FISA）。结果表明，黑水虻幼虫在所有测试底物上均能成功发育。观察到FISA的性能最佳，幼虫总重为35.21±3.91克，干物质产量为11.21±0.45克，存活率为96.63±0.40%，饲料转化率最高（FCR，4.11±0.59）。重金属分析显示幼虫中铅（Pb）和镉（Cd）有大量生物积累。特别是，以PIZZA饲养的幼虫铅浓度为4.68μg/100克，相应的生物积累因子（BAF）约为1.5。镉积累在喂食CHB的幼虫中最为显著，镉浓度为0.41±0.33μg/100克，BAF约为2.1。尽管有这种生物积累，但所有检测到的浓度仍远低于欧盟为动物饲料设定的监管限值，这不仅表明幼虫在可持续废物管理中的可行性，还表明其作为动物饲料中安全蛋白质来源的用途。本研究强调了将此类食物垃圾纳入昆虫生物转化系统的可行性。通过适当的风险管理，这种做法可以显著改善养分循环、废物管理和循环经济，促使进行监管审查以允许更广泛的底物利用。这些积极成果强调了将目前受限的动物源性食物垃圾流纳入基于昆虫的生物转化系统的潜力，为循环经济释放额外价值，并有助于更高效的废物管理实践。
