Artificial rearing of black soldier fly and production of insect biomass for animal feed

• Grant number: 16/00816-9
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Innovative Research in Small Business - PIPE
• Start date: November 01, 2016
• End date: July 31, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Zoology - Applied Zoology
• Principal Investigator: Renata Morelli de Andrade
• Grantee: Renata Morelli de Andrade
• Company: Proinsecta Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento Ltda. - ME
• City: Piracicaba
• Associated researchers: José Maurício Simões Bento
• Associated scholarship(s): 16/20199-4 - Artificial rearing of black soldier fly and production of insect biomass for animal feed, BP.PIPE

Abstract

The current scenario for animal feed in the world presents some challenges and bottlenecks to be overcome which precisely brings out a favorable environment for the use of insects as nutrient sources. The black soldier fly (bsf) was the insect species chosen as it is a cosmopolitan species, it is not considered as a pest, and is not harmful or annoying for humans and mammals. The adults do not move often and females have high fecundity. Larvae quickly and efficiently convert organic matter in insect biomass of high nutritional value. This project focus on the strain domestication and other key points in the process of insect production, such as egg yield in artificial conditions and larval substrate for both colony maintenance and biomass production. Biological parameters of the insects will be assessed over the establishment of the artificial rearing allowing better evaluations of food and environmental conditions to keep a continuous production of high quality insect biomass. The present research plan can be divided in three parts: i) strain domestication and establishment of a stable artificial rearing; here studies regarding artificial light sources to increase egg production will be developed in the Department of Entomology of ESALQ. ii) Assessment of biological parameters of the insects produced in different larval substrate. iii) Evaluation of the nutritional quality in insect biomass produced in the above-mentioned conditions. Overcoming this important step towards a new process of an innovative product the company becomes feasible and can result in a positive development in this business segment with encouragement of new enterprises and investments in the sector. In the same sense, the development of such an innovative, environmental friendly and sustainable technology leads to a greater competitiveness of insect business in animal feed trade. (AU)