Potential of house crickets Acheta domesticus L. (Orthoptera: Gryllidae) as a novel food source for integration in a co-cultivation system

Abstract

Environmental controlled indoor cultivation combined with a co-cultivation of different organisms can address the challenges of agri-food systems and lead towards resilience. Due to their numerous food and feed applications and low environmental impact, house crickets (Achaeta domesticus) are a promising candidate for indoor cultivation systems. The present study explored the potential of house crickets for application in indoor farming and co-cultivation systems, by applying PAR at elevated intensity combined with narrowband UV-B irradiation at 285 nm and observing its effect on the development of the house crickets, their nutritional composition and the mineral content of their frass, which has potential as fertilizer. Narrowband UV-B irradiation increased the survival rate of the house crickets by >20%, while not affecting their weight (g/cricket), compared to house crickets reared in the same conditions without the narrowband UV-B irradiation (Elevated PAR). Furthermore, narrowband UV-B irradiation increased by 16.18% and 67.95% the protein and chitin content, respectively, compared to the house crickets reared in the same conditions without UV-B irradiation. Finally, all the frass samples showed a rich mineral profile containing Ca, K, Mg, Na and S, with narrowband UV-B irradiation affecting its composition throughout the rearing process. Thus, this study demonstrates that house crickets can adapt physiologically to different environments and are suitable for integration into indoor farming and co-cultivation systems. Thus, it is suggested that house crickets, as edible insects, have significant potential to be cultivated with other organisms, an important step for the circular economy.