Using Hermetia illucens larvae to process biowaste from aquaculture production

A paper was published in the Journal of Cleaner Production as a result of the partnership established between the Environmental Engineering Research Group at SLU and the PhD candidate Ivã Guidini Lopes, a researcher from São Paulo, Brazil. This paper addresses the management of waste generated in aquaculture enterprises (fish carcasses) by larvae of the black soldier fly (BSF, Hermetia illucens).

                      It was demonstrated that BSF larvae are unable to process this biowaste alone, thus it is necessary to blend the carcasses with another waste stream, such as bread waste. Larvae fed exclusively with bread grew less in comparison to larvae fed a mix of bread and aquaculture waste, up to 15% inclusion levels. In addition, it was demonstrated that the crude protein content of the larvae was increased by 60% with a 15% inclusion level of aquaculture waste (reaching 45% in dry matter basis) in the larval diet. These results revealed that biowaste from aquaculture production can be efficiently treated by BSF larvae, when added in small amounts in their diet, thus increasing the activity’s sustainability and the market value of the obtained larval biomass, due to the achieved higher protein levels.

Full paper available here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652619346232

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