Fruit-vegetable Waste Research Articles

Evaluation of fruit–vegetable and fish wastes as alternative feedstuffs in pig diets

Fruit–vegetable and fish wastes were evaluated as potential feedstuffs for growing-finishing pigs. Wastes were collected from shops in the city of Salamanca (Spain) and their nutritional composition, mineral content and digestibility were determined. The dry matter of the wastes under study was relatively low (12% for fruit–vegetable waste and 26% for fish waste), but they presented all of the nutrient requirements for swine diets. The fish waste contained 58% crude protein, 22% ash, 19% ether extract and 1% crude fibre, whereas the fruit–vegetable waste contained 65% nitrogen free extract, 13% crude fibre, 12% crude protein, 8% ash and 2% ether extract. Waste digestibility decreased with temperature, and hence temperatures over 65 °C for fruit–vegetable waste and 105 °C for fish waste should not be used in the treatment to reduce the moisture and to ensure the microbiology quality. Therefore, two diets were formulated using linear programming. The analysed waste was included in approximately 20% of one of the diets, while another diet was formulated without any type of waste. These data showed that this part of biodegradable municipal waste could be managed as alternative feedstuffs in swine diets, reducing the amount of biodegradable municipal waste going to landfills.

Breeding media of common flies. II. In rural areas.

Summary A study of production sources and seasonal abundance of the more common muscoid flies from May 1950 through April 1951 showed that Musca domestica was produced by a wide range of breeding media throughout the entire period, far exceeding all other fly species in this respect. This wide adaptibility, plus the house fly's enormous reproduction potential, probably accounts for its demonstrated ability to develop insecticide-resistant populations rapidly. The occasional high production of other common species from any one of five principal fly breeding media categories was offset by its relatively infrequent occurrence or its restriction to certain items of breeding material. Animal refuse (excrements, pen litter and wastes) not only occurred most frequently of all categories of media examined, but were also the most fly productive breeding materials occurring in the two study towns. Fruit-vegetable wastes and miscellaneous wastes were found to occur less frequently and to produce fewer flies, and were considered of secondary importance. Species composition of flies counted indoors during the period of this study showed that 99 per cent were house flies. This species preference for human association, coupled with its abundance coincidentally with diarrheal disease in the study area, further establishes it as the major species to be considered in this area. Certain other species such as Phaenicia spp., Callitroga macellaria and Sarcophaga spp., while frequently noted in houses, actually comprised less than one per cent of flies in houses.

Breeding Media of Common Flies

SummaryA study of production sources and seasonal abundance of the more common muscoid flies from May 1950 through April 1951 showed that Musca domestica was produced by a wide range of breeding media throughout the entire period, far exceeding all other fly species in this respect. This wide adaptibility, plus the house fly's enormous reproduction potential, probably accounts for its demonstrated ability to develop insecticide-resistant populations rapidly. The occasional high production of other common species from any one of five principal fly breeding media categories was offset by its relatively infrequent occurrence or its restriction to certain items of breeding material.Animal refuse (excrements, pen litter and wastes) not only occurred most frequently of all categories of media examined, but were also the most fly productive breeding materials occurring in the two study towns. Fruit-vegetable wastes and miscellaneous wastes were found to occur less frequently and to produce fewer flies, and were considered of secondary importance.Species composition of flies counted indoors during the period of this study showed that 99 per cent were house flies. This species preference for human association, coupled with its abundance coincidentally with diarrheal disease in the study area, further establishes it as the major species to be considered in this area. Certain other species such as Phaenicia spp., Callitroga macellaria and Sarcophaga spp., while frequently noted in houses, actually comprised less than one per cent of flies in houses.