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Insects
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Insect Rearing: Reserve Forces with Commercial and Ecological Values
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Insect Rearing: Reserve Forces with Commercial and Ecological Values

A special issue of Insects (ISSN 2075-4450).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2024 | Viewed by 5252

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Rosemarie Tedeschi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agriculture, Forest and Food Sciences, University of Torino, 10095 Grugliasco, Italy
Interests: pest management; insect vectors of plant pathogens; edible insects
Dr. Valentina Candian

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Agriculture, Forest and Food Sciences, University of Torino, 10095 Grugliasco, Italy
Interests: insect immunity; insects as source of antimicrobial peptides; insect as feed and food; waste upcycling using insects; insect vectors of plant pathogens; integrated pest management

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Insect rearing is a well-established practice for various purposes. Insects are farmed for the biological control of pests and weeds, for sterile insect technique (SIT) programs, as an innovative source of food and feed, to obtain several valuable products (e.g., honey, silk, chitin, enzymes, or antimicrobial peptides), and as model organisms in medical studies. Moreover, insect rearing is a key step on the path to improve sustainability and to maximize the exploitation of resources from a circular economy perspective. Indeed, insect-based bioconversion represents an economically viable solution for food waste management.

This Special Issue aims to encourage scientists to publish results related to new aspects of insect rearing such as improvements in breeding techniques, innovative applications of insect products (e.g., chitin, enzymes, or antimicrobial peptides) and insect farm waste (i.e., frass), diseases, and the preservation of insect health on insect farms. Other particular aspects related to insect rearing could be also considered. Both original research articles and reviews will be considered for publication.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Rosemarie Tedeschi
Dr. Valentina Candian
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Insects is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • chitin
  • antimicrobial peptides
  • fatty acids
  • enzymes
  • frass
  • rearing substrate
  • diseases
  • immune system
  • bioactivities

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 2221 KiB  
Article
Characterisation of Tenebrio molitor Reared on Substrates Supplemented with Chestnut Shell
by Irene Ferri, Matteo Dell’Anno, Mattia Spano, Benedetta Canala, Beatrice Petrali, Matilda Dametti, Stefano Magnaghi and Luciana Rossi
Insects 2024, 15(7), 512; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects15070512 - 9 Jul 2024
Viewed by 479
Abstract
Tenebrio molitor larvae represent a sustainable protein source for food and feed. The aim of this study was to evaluate the supplementation of chestnut shell, a by-product of the agro-industrial chain, in growth substrates for T. molitor larvae rearing. Seven-week-old larvae were reared [...] Read more.
Tenebrio molitor larvae represent a sustainable protein source for food and feed. The aim of this study was to evaluate the supplementation of chestnut shell, a by-product of the agro-industrial chain, in growth substrates for T. molitor larvae rearing. Seven-week-old larvae were reared on three different growth substrates: the control group (CTRL) was fed wheat bran, treatment group one was fed wheat bran supplemented with 12.5% w/w chestnut shell (TRT1), and treatment group two was fed wheat bran supplemented with 25% w/w chestnut shell (TRT2). Larval weight, substrate consumption, and mortality were recorded weekly. After 14 days, insect meals were produced for bromatological and colorimetric analysis, and bacterial inhibition activity assay using a microdilution method. The amino acid profile of insects was determined using quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Our results showed a lower feed conversion ratio and higher larval survival rate % in TRT2 compared to CTRL (p < 0.05). Proteins and lipids of TRT2 were higher than other groups (p < 0.05). Important differences were observed in the amino acid profile of TRT1 and TRT2 compared to CTRL (p < 0.05). TRT1 and TRT2 showed higher E. coli inhibitory activity than CTRL (p < 0.05). In conclusion, chestnut shell supplementation improved the survival and functional characteristics of larvae and likely impacted the insects’ metabolism. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insect Rearing: Reserve Forces with Commercial and Ecological Values)
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16 pages, 3044 KiB  
Article
Newly Woody Artificial Diet Reveals Antibacterial Activity of Hemolymph in Larvae of Zophobas atratus (Fabricius, 1775) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)
by Alexander Kuprin, Vladislava Baklanova, Maria Khandy, Andrei Grinchenko and Vadim Kumeiko
Insects 2024, 15(6), 435; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects15060435 - 8 Jun 2024
Viewed by 736
Abstract
The rearing of saproxylic insects in laboratory conditions is an important task for studying the biology of insects. Through understanding nutritional needs, it is possible to optimize beetle rearing in laboratory conditions. In this study, an artificial fungi-based diet (FD) was developed for [...] Read more.
The rearing of saproxylic insects in laboratory conditions is an important task for studying the biology of insects. Through understanding nutritional needs, it is possible to optimize beetle rearing in laboratory conditions. In this study, an artificial fungi-based diet (FD) was developed for the cultivation of the darkling beetle Zophobas atratus (Fabricius, 1775) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) in laboratory conditions as a model object for studying the biology of saproxylophagous beetles. To assess the influence of the diet, a number of physiological parameters were measured, including development time, body size, and weight of all stages of the beetle’s life cycle, as well as its immune status. The immune status of Z. atratus was assessed on the basis of larval hemolymph antibacterial activity against six different bacterial strains assessed using disk-diffusion and photometric tests. Our findings show that the FD reduces development time and boosts the immune status as compared to beetles reared on a standard diet (SD). Samples from FD-reared larvae had pronounced antibacterial activity as compared to samples from SD-reared larvae. This work is of fundamental importance for understanding the correlations between nutrition and development of saproxylic Coleoptera and is the first report on immune status regulation in this group of insects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insect Rearing: Reserve Forces with Commercial and Ecological Values)
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13 pages, 2724 KiB  
Article
Silkworm Hemolymph and Cocoon Metabolomics Reveals Valine Improves Feed Efficiency of Silkworm Artificial Diet
by Jinxin Wu, Lingyi Li, Daoyuan Qin, Han Chen, Yuanlin Liu, Guanwang Shen and Ping Zhao
Insects 2024, 15(4), 291; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects15040291 - 19 Apr 2024
Viewed by 932
Abstract
Artificial silkworm diets significantly impact farm profitability. Sustainable cocoon production depends on the continuous improvement of feed efficiency to reduce costs and nutrient losses in the feed. This study used metabolomics to explore the differences in silkworm cocoons and hemolymph under two modes [...] Read more.
Artificial silkworm diets significantly impact farm profitability. Sustainable cocoon production depends on the continuous improvement of feed efficiency to reduce costs and nutrient losses in the feed. This study used metabolomics to explore the differences in silkworm cocoons and hemolymph under two modes of rearing: an artificial diet and a mulberry-leaf diet. Nine metabolites of silkworm cocoons and hemolymph in the mulberry-leaf group were higher than those in the artificial-diet group. Enrichment analysis of the KEGG pathways for these metabolites revealed that they were mainly enriched in the valine, leucine, and isoleucine biosynthesis and degradation pathways. Hence, the artificial silkworm diet was supplemented various concentrations of valine were supplemented to with the aim of examining the impact of valine on their feeding and digestion of the artificial diet. The results indicated that valine addition had no significant effect on feed digestibility in the fifth-instar silkworm. Food intake in the 2% and 4% valine groups was significantly lower than that in the 0% valine group. However, the 2% and 4% valine groups showed significantly improved cocoon-production efficiency, at 11.3% and 25.1% higher, respectively. However, the cocoon-layer-production efficiencies of the 2% and 4% valine groups decreased by 7.7% and 13.9%, respectively. The research confirmed that valine is an effective substance for enhancing the feed efficiency of silkworms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insect Rearing: Reserve Forces with Commercial and Ecological Values)
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13 pages, 1350 KiB  
Article
Validation of Diets with Tomato Pomace in Complete Cycle Breeding of Tenebrio molitor (L.) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)
by Ferdinando Baldacchino, Anna Spagnoletta, Flutura Lamaj, Maria Luisa Vitale and Vincenzo Verrastro
Insects 2024, 15(4), 287; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects15040287 - 18 Apr 2024
Viewed by 1073
Abstract
By-product-based diets have the potential to improve the environmental and economic sustainability of Tenebrio molitor (Linnaeus, 1758) production. However, evaluations of the efficacy of new diets are generally focused on larval performance, while the effect on adults is poorly understood. This aim of [...] Read more.
By-product-based diets have the potential to improve the environmental and economic sustainability of Tenebrio molitor (Linnaeus, 1758) production. However, evaluations of the efficacy of new diets are generally focused on larval performance, while the effect on adults is poorly understood. This aim of this study was to evaluate diets enriched with tomato pomace over a complete breeding cycle. The results showed that when used as an oviposition substrate, all the tested diets, including tomato pomace (T), outperformed the control bran-yeast diet (WY, 95:5 ratio), possibly due to the presence of cholesterol and linoleic acid. The adults fed with the bran-tomato pomace-brewer’s spent grain diet (WTB, 50:27:23 ratio), the bran-tomato pomace-yeast diet (WTY, 50:41:9 ratio), and the bran-tomato pomace diet (WT, 50:50 ratio) produced significantly more larvae than those fed with the WY diet. The WTB diet (despite being yeast-free) performed similarly to the WY control diet during the subsequent larval growth phase, making it suitable for the entire production cycle. In conclusion, the results show that tomato pomace can be used a valid by-product in the formulation of efficient diets for the breeding of T. molitor and also provide an alternative to expensive yeast. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insect Rearing: Reserve Forces with Commercial and Ecological Values)
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19 pages, 1158 KiB  
Article
First Optimization of Tomato Pomace in Diets for Tenebrio molitor (L.) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)
by Ferdinando Baldacchino, Anna Spagnoletta, Flutura Lamaj, Maria Luisa Vitale and Vincenzo Verrastro
Insects 2023, 14(11), 854; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects14110854 - 1 Nov 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1382
Abstract
Tomato pomace (TP), an agricultural industrial waste product from the tomato processing industry, is valorized as a rearing substrate for Tenebrio molitor (L.). This study evaluated bran-based diets with increasing tomato pomace (0%, 27%, 41%, and 100%). Protein sources, such as brewer’s spent [...] Read more.
Tomato pomace (TP), an agricultural industrial waste product from the tomato processing industry, is valorized as a rearing substrate for Tenebrio molitor (L.). This study evaluated bran-based diets with increasing tomato pomace (0%, 27%, 41%, and 100%). Protein sources, such as brewer’s spent grain and yeast, were used in TP27 and TP41 diets to ensure equal protein contents to the control diet. Results showed no different for larval and pupal weights between diets; however, the time of development significantly increases in TP100 compared to all diets. The feed conversion rate progressively increases from 2.7 to 4.3, respectively, from the control to the TP100 diet. Conversely, lycopene and β-carotene increase in the larvae. The fatty acid composition improves by increasing polyunsaturated fatty acids (mainly α-linoleic acid). Although the best nutritional quality was obtained in T100, the TP41 is the optimal diet for balance between larval performance and qualitative improvement of larvae. Therefore, tomato pomace is suitable for the formulation of mealworm diets, even in high dosages, when supplemented with sustainable protein and carbohydrate sources. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insect Rearing: Reserve Forces with Commercial and Ecological Values)
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