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The effect ofRhodococcus rhodochrous supplementation on black soldier fly (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) development, nutrition, and waste conversion

In: Journal of Insects as Food and Feed
Authors:
K. Franks Department of Biology, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS 39762, USA.

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E. Kooienga Department of Biology, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS 39762, USA.

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M. Sanders Department of Biology, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS 39762, USA.

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K. Pendarvis School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.

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F. Yang Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA.

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J.K. Tomberlin Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA.

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H.R. Jordan Department of Biology, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS 39762, USA.

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Black soldier fly larvae are mass produced globally for use as livestock, poultry, and aquaculture feed. Efforts are continuously seeking processes optimising larval rate of growth, size, and waste conversion as a means to lower cost and increase output. Manipulating microbes in the larval substrate (i.e. fermentation or supplementation) has been demonstrated as a potential solution. However, identifying appropriate microbes for use in this process has been limited. The objective of this study was to determine whether supplementing black soldier fly larvae with the oleaginous microbeRhodococcus rhodochrous would result in accelerated larval development, increased final larval body size, and increased conversion efficiency. Larvae fed a sterile, or non-sterile, diet treated withR. rhodochrous grew 3× faster than the control by the third day and were approximately 2× larger than the control by the conclusion of the experiment. Conversion rate was 2× greater for the treatments indicating less feed would be needed to achieve maximum weight gain. Protein composition of resulting larvae fed diet supplemented withR. rhodochrous, was significantly different than the control not receiving the microbial infusion. Larvae provided the microbe had 4.20 and 2.79% greater fatty acid composition and short-chained fatty acids, respectively, but lower monounsaturated fatty acids (1.60%) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (2.4%). Furthermore, larvae providedR. rhodochrous produced significantly more proteins related to energy production and storage, as well as muscle development and contraction, while thosesans microbe, produced proteins related to stress responses (e.g. heat shock proteins). While, this study yielded positive results for the inclusion ofR. rhodochrous as part of the black soldier fly larval diet, additional research is needed to optimise the dose at an industrial scale.

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