Abstract
The production of black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae (BSFL) is rapidly becoming a new method to convert food waste into a sustainable ingredient in terrestrial and aquatic nutrition while the by-product, called ‘frass’, can be used as a soil amendment. The growth and nutritional quality of BSFL and their frass is greatly influenced by the provided substrates. In this study, fruits, vegetables, starches and in their combination (mixture) were provided to BSFL for two weeks and afterwards their final weight and nutritional composition of the BSFL and frass were measured. The starch treatment produced significantly heavier BSFL compared to those in the fruit treatment. However, BSFL produced from starch had the lowest amino acid levels. The BSFL produced from vegetables had significantly higher crude protein and essential amino acids compared to all substrates, with the exception of histidine. Frass produced from vegetables had significantly higher nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium values compared to all others, with the exception of nitrogen in the starch and mixture treatment. This study showed that the use of vegetables produced BSFL and frass comparable to soybean meal and many organic fertilisers, respectively, and these could be valuable and sustainable resources for the agricultural industry.
Published Version
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