Metabolic Performance of Mealworms and Black Soldier Fly Larvae Reared on Food and Agricultural Waste and By-Products.

ABSTRACT: Mealworms and black soldier fly (BSF) larvae are two of the most reared insects at an industrial scale. Both may feed on by-products from agricultural and food industries. Feed efficiency is one of the most important aspects of such processes and varies between species and feed substrates and depends on the metabolic performance of the larvae. Compared to each other, both species may hold advantageous capabilities affecting their feed efficiency, likely depending on the feed substrate. We reared mealworms and BSF larvae on a diverse selection of by-products from agricultural and food industries, quantified major metabolic rates across their life spans, and compared their performances. The type of feed substrates had stronger effects on the growth of mealworms than on black soldier fly larv

SUBMITTER: Nielsen FK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11759143 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature