New Publication ” Insects for Feed”

New Publication ” Insects for Feed”

Our open access peer-reviewed article entitled “Influence of Temperature on Selected Life-History Traits of Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia illucens) Reared on Two Common Urban Organic Waste Streams in Kenya” was published in Animals Special Issue Insects: Alternative Protein Source for Animal Feed.

Here is a simple summary of the article:

Rapid population growth and urbanization, continued economic growth, shifts in dietary patterns towards more animal source foods are major challenges that sub-Saharan Africa is currently facing. These challenges exert a high demand on agricultural production. Insect species such as the black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) have been identified as potential alternatives for the traditional protein sources used in livestock feed due to their rich nutrient content and the fact that they can be reared on organic side streams. However, black soldier fly larvae are very sensitive to external environments such as temperature and rearing medium. Currently, little is known about the combined influence of temperature and organic waste streams that are readily available in the urban environments of sub-Saharan Africa. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the influence of temperature and organic waste streams on the development of black soldier fly larvae reared on two different organic substrates, i.e., brewers’ spent grain and cow dung. The results show that black soldier fly larvae reared on brewers’ spent grain were more efficient and tolerated a wider range of temperatures in comparison with those reared on cow dung.

You can access the full article via the following link https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/9/3/79

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