Future Proteins: Sustainable Diets for Tenebrio molitor Rearing Composed of Food By-Products
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Diet Selection and Preparation
2.2. Data Analysis
- Survival rate of larvae;The survival rate was determined by daily counting the number of dead larvae for each treatment and calculating the rate in percentage based on the total number of larvae.
- 2.
- Development times (larvae -> pupae, pupae -> adults);Development time of larvae was recorded beginning with the first day of the experiment (with about three-week-old larvae) until the first pupa emerged.
- 3.
- Individual weights of the larvae, pupae, and adult beetles;Pupae and beetles were weighed shortly after eclosion. For boxes containing > 10 larvae, ten randomly chosen larvae per box were weighed individually once a week and placed back to the box. For boxes holding < 10 larvae, all specimens were weighed individually.
- 4.
- Total biomass of larvae, beetles, and pupae;
- 5.
- Percentage of emerged pupae (pupation rate) and emerged beetles;The emergence of pupae and beetles was calculated based on the total number of initially investigated larvae and is given as a rate.
- 6.
- Sex ratio [%];Sex was determined for pupae and was subsequently checked again for adult beetles to assure the correct determination.
- 7.
- Anomalies of beetles (deformed adults in %);Adult beetles were visually inspected for any abnormality or deformation (any defect in appearance or mobility).
- 8.
- Initial weight of feed and amount of remaining feed (= FC, “feed consumed”);FC = subtracting the remaining substrate from the total amount of the substrate provided (initial weight of feed) [7].
- 9.
- Chemical composition of the offered diets;Substrates and larvae were analyzed by “Futtermittellabor Rosenau” (Futtermittellabor der Landwirtschaftskammer Niederösterreich, Lower Austria), following the VDLUFA regulations (Association of German Agricultural Analytic and Research Institutes, https://www.methodenbuch.de/produkt/methodenbuch-band-iii-futtermittel/, accessed on 10 November 2023). The total content of protein was determined using the Kjeldahl method. Depending on the substrate, the fat content was analyzed by two different methods. For all substrates, the extraction was performed with petroleum ether as solvent. Substrates of vegetable origins containing soy protein, yeast, or potato protein were treated with hydrochloric acid before the extraction. To determine the crude ash content, the samples were burned at 550 °C and weighed afterwards. To verify the crude fiber content, the defatted substrates were treated with sulfuric acid and potassium hydroxide solution, filtrated, washed, dried, weighed, burned, and the residue was weighed again. For the sugar content, samples were dissolved in ethanol, cleared with Carrez solutions, and the content was determined by the Luff Schoorl method. CGo (corn germ meal) was analyzed by BOKU (University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna). Larvae for chemical analysis (“TM”, fed with WB and carrots) were fasted 24 h before being killed by freezing at −18 °C and were also analyzed by “Futtermittellabor Rosenau”.
2.3. Statistical Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Survival Rates of Larvae Grown on Different Substrates
3.2. Effect of Substrates on the Individual Weight and the Total Biomass of Larvae
3.3. Growth Parameters and Development Times of Pupae and Beetles
3.4. Feed Consumed
3.5. Nutrient Composition of Substrates
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
Supplementary Materials
Author Contributions
Funding
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Diet | 1st Pupa 1 [Days] | Pupation Rate 2 [%] | Mean Pupal Weight ±SD [g] | Min/Max Weight [g] | Sex Ratio m/f [%] | Emerged Beetles 3 [%] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
CGo | 132 | 3 | 0.13 ± 0.02 | 0.11/0.15 | 33/67 | 3 |
CN | 106 | 14 | 0.12 ± 0.04 | 0.04/0.19 | 43/57 | 12 |
MRP | 52 | 93 | 0.16 ± 0.02 | 0.11/0.21 | 49/51 | 95 |
SP | 186 | 20 | 0.11 ± 0.01 | 0.10/0.13 | 50/50 | 20 |
WB | 53 | 79 | 0.15 ± 0.02 | 0.10/0.21 | 45/55 | 73 |
LSWBc | 73 | 98 | 0.15 ± 0.02 | 0.10/0.23 | 53/47 | 98 |
WBc | 42 | 96 | 0.17 ± 0.03 | 0.12/0.24 | 47/53 | 98 |
WK | 154 | 34 | 0.11 ± 0.02 | 0.06/0.14 | 41/59 | 20 |
B | 191 | 3 | 0.11 ± 0.00 | 0.11/0.12 | 67/33 | 0 |
SO | 227 | 2 | 0.11 ± 0.01 | 0.10/0.12 | 50/50 | 0 |
Diet | Mean Weight ±SD [g] | Min/Max Weight [g] | Duration of Pupal Stage [days] (Min/Max) | Morph. Abnormalities 1 [%] |
---|---|---|---|---|
CGo | 0.11 ± 0.02 | 0.08/0.14 | 7 (7/8) | 33 |
CN | 0.10 ± 0.04 | 0.07/0.16 | 7 (4/10) | 83 |
MRP | 0.14 ± 0.02 | 0.09/0.19 | 6 (5/8) | 22 |
SP | 0.10 ± 0.01 | 0.07/0.11 | 6 (4/7) | 40 |
WB | 0.13 ± 0.02 | 0.07/0.17 | 7 (4/10) | 32 |
WK | 0.10 ± 0.01 | 0.09/0.13 | 6 (5/7) | 0 |
LSWBc | 0.13 ± 0.02 | 0.08/0.21 | 6 (4/7) | 39 |
WBc | 0.14 ± 0.02 | 0.10/0.20 | 7 (5/9) | 16 |
Substrate | Abbreviation | Suitability | |
---|---|---|---|
wheat bran | WB | ✓ | main rearing substrate |
malt residual pellets | MRP | ✓ | |
corn germ meal | CGo | ✓ | |
sweet chestnuts with peel | CN | ✓ | |
sweet potatoes | SP | ✓ | |
wheat germs (extracts) | WK | ✓ | |
soybeans | SO | ✓~ | main feeding substrate 1 |
bread remains | B | ✓~ | |
brewer´s spent grain | D | ~ | supplement |
hempseed cake | WC | ~ | |
Urtica | U | ~ | |
acron flour | EH | ~ | |
pearl oyster mushroom | A | ~ | |
potatoes | Maestro | ~ | |
foam peanuts | V | ~ | |
pearl oyster mushroom mycelia with coffee grounds and coffee chaff | AK | ~ | |
coffee grounds | CG | ✕ | not suitable |
coffee chaff | CC | ✕ | |
pumpkin kernel cake | PSO | ✕ | |
Fallopia x bohemica | FB | ✕ | |
Sida | Si | ✕ | |
garlic peel | G | ✕ | |
runner beans | Be | ✕ | |
Mur sand | Sand | ✕ | |
sawdust | SD | ✕ | |
wheat straw | WS | ✕ | |
potatoes | Musica | ✕ | |
potatoes | Fries | ✕ | |
jerusalem artichoke | Papas | ✕ |
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Lienhard, A.; Rehorska, R.; Pöllinger-Zierler, B.; Mayer, C.; Grasser, M.; Berner, S. Future Proteins: Sustainable Diets for Tenebrio molitor Rearing Composed of Food By-Products. Foods 2023, 12, 4092. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12224092
Lienhard A, Rehorska R, Pöllinger-Zierler B, Mayer C, Grasser M, Berner S. Future Proteins: Sustainable Diets for Tenebrio molitor Rearing Composed of Food By-Products. Foods. 2023; 12(22):4092. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12224092
Chicago/Turabian StyleLienhard, Andrea, René Rehorska, Barbara Pöllinger-Zierler, Chiara Mayer, Monika Grasser, and Simon Berner. 2023. "Future Proteins: Sustainable Diets for Tenebrio molitor Rearing Composed of Food By-Products" Foods 12, no. 22: 4092. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12224092