I really like when the title truly captures the message being conveyed in a publication. This paper is an example of such an accomplishment. Given that several authors are from Colombia- I tend to believe the message is personal and sincere.  

The authors provide an overview of the black soldier fly as a means to create stable agricultural production in nations experiencing instability. While, I personally, appreciate the black soldier fly being used as the example, I believe it is only the beginning. As you all know, there are a number of other species that offer such opportunities.

Regardless, I believe the authors offer a very coherent and impactful message demonstrating that insects as feed (and food) offer much more than industrial development and protecting the environment. Such systems, when implemented properly, can truly save lives beyond simple nutrition. 

Barragán-Fonseca, K. Y., K. B. Barragán-Fonseca, G. Verschoor, J. J. A. van Loon, and M. Dicke. 2020. Insects for peace. Current Opinion in Insect Science.

Figuring out how Nature operates, replicating the process, and industrializing has been a 'holy grail' of humanity since the beginning of time for a multitude of topics. For example, and the first thing I thought of, 'lightening strikes the ground' and fire is produced- so take a piece of flint, strike a rock, get sparks and fire can be produced. Better yet- if it can be recreated- can we then use it as a model to better understand the process and enhance it (thinking lightening creating fire evolving to harnessing atoms to produce heat).

The same is being done with the black soldier fly. Somehow, the larvae of this insect can digest a host of organic materials and produce waste that can be used as fertilizer and larval mass that can be used as feed. Can this system be replicated in a lab? Can such data result in a better understanding of the processes that allows for this insect to digest a plethora of wastes?  

Gold et al. (2020) is the first step in this direction. The results are mixed but definitely serve as a starting point for industrialization of this process in the case of Gold et al. (2020)- with the black soldier fly.

Gold, M., J. Egger, A. Scheidegger, C. Zurbrügg, D. Bruno, M. Bonelli, G. Tettamanti, M. Casartelli, E. Schmitt, B. Kerkaert, J. D. Smet, L. V. Campenhout, and A. Mathys. 2020. Estimating black soldier fly larvae biowaste conversion performance by simulation of midgut digestion. Waste Management 112: 40-51.

​But, I leave you with this question (for fun):

Can the ability of the black soldier fly be replicated in the lab and industrialized?

Imagine- giant industrialized mechanical insect guts (think "Terminator" eating waste and pooping out fertilizer and protein being harvested from a secondary evacuation hole or better yet- Alien doing the same, 36 second mark of video) recycling organic waste and producing insect protein and fertilizer!

First and foremost, I hope (pray) you all are safe and healthy during the COVID19 global crisis.  We in Texas are hanging in there. While unfortunate, I tell my children it is great to have more time with them as they are growing up so fast. I hope you have the same luxury with your family.

And now the news..... 

A quick note on a paper to be in print soon (you can access the submitted version below) that will offer new perspective on the black soldier fly- Hermetia illucens.  

The term black soldier fly is applied liberally to a family of flies that is quite massive and diverse. Many species look like Hermetia illucens, but are obviously not.  

I ask anyone that is shipping material globally to consider the ramifications of practices. Shipping different genotypes (possibly different species) to locations outside of your geographic location. This caution is warranted for many reasons; 1) dilution and suppression of unique genotypes in the area you are shipping (i.e., loss of genetic variability), 2) introduction of new species to an area, 3) mass production of a species that is not approved for use by federal governments. Keep in mind- the black soldier fly, Hermetia illucens, has to be managed properly to avoid issue (see second citation below).

Everyone that is industrialized might consider having their population genotyped for their records.

Ståhls G, Meier R, Sandrock C, et al. The puzzling mitochondrial phylogeography of the black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens), the commercially most important insect protein species. Research Square; 2020. DOI: 10.21203/rs.2.19982/v2.

Tomberlin, J. K., and A. v. Huis. 2020. Black soldier fly from pest to ‘crown jewel’ of the insects as feed industry: an historical perspective. Journal of Insects as Food and Feed 6: 1-4.

​M.S./Ph.D. and post-doc positions in black soldier flies (BSF) for organic waste remediation and protein production - process scale-up
 
Bioenergy and Environment Research Group (http://www.samirkkhanall/) in the Department of Molecular Biosciences and Bioengineering at The University of Hawaii at Manoa has several immediate openings for graduate students (M.S./Ph.D.) and post-doctoral research associate.  The selected candidate will conduct research on the use of black soldier flies (BSF) for various locally available organic waste remediation. The candidate should have prior research experience in BSF colony development, BSF egg production, BSF larvae cultivation and process scale-up. The candidate is also expected to work with environmental engineer and entomologist. The research project will establish protocol for BSF scale-up, and process automation. We prefer a candidate with research background in organic waste recycling, design and operation of scalable biological system with relevant research background in black soldier flies. M.S./Ph.D. in environmental engineering/entomology or a closely related engineering/biological field is required. The candidate must have superior academic and excellent research background. The position requires excellent written and oral english skill including ability to prepare refereed journal articles/progress report. Salary is highly competitive and commensurate with experience. The candidate will also receive full tuition waiver along with fund for attending/presenting at national/international conference. For consideration, please e-mail CV (with GRE, TOEFL scores (if applicable) and GPA), short write-up on research experience, names of 2 referees and publication if any in a single PDF file to Dr. Samir K. Khanal at <khanal@hawaii.edu> by Feb 29, 2020.
 

Have you ever wondered- what was the black soldier fly known for before it was being mass produced as a feed? Well, here is an answer. Arnold van Huis and I put together a summary of the published history for this species prior to its recognition in the 1990s as a beneficial. Hard to believe, but the black soldier fly was recognized as a pest before then.  The major take-home message is- be careful with your production of the black soldier fly. I hope you enjoy the read!!

Tomberlin, J. K., and A. v. Huis. 2020. Black soldier fly from pest to ‘crown jewel’ of the insects as feed industry: an historical perspective. Journal of Insects as Food and Feed 6: 1-4.

Obviously, fat is something that most people try to avoid in their diets simply from a health perspective. However, fat in BSF is the new form of "black gold".... only it is "white gold" (please link references to oil industry). If not familiar with oil industry reference- maybe pop culture with the Beverly Hillbillies (a popular USA TV show in the 1960s I believe)?

Today- I wanted to draw your attention to a recent publication on methods for extracting fat from BSF. I thought industry would be interested in this paper given the fat is not necessarily the best for formulating diets for other animals, but it represents a resource that can extracted and developed into bio-energy.  

Ravi, H. K., M. A. Vian, Y. Tao, A. Degrou, J. Costil, C. Trespeuch, and F. Chemat. 2019. Alternative solvents for lipid extraction and their effect on protein quality in black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae. Journal of Cleaner Production 238: 117861.

A cool finding- they discuss a "green" solvent that can be used to extract the fat!

Insects as Food & Feed in the News!

Tis the Season! (USA)- a nice article in a university newspaper on insects as food.

Crickets in Our Bread (UK)- everyone seems to be enjoying cricket bread in the UK (a number of major chains carry this product).

Who Says Insects Can't Be a Dessert? (Mexico)- a great article on the cultural aspects of insects as food- a long heritage.

My apologies for being silent for several weeks. Without going into detail, I will just say that life throws curveballs.

But I had to make this post- the BSF genome is now available. Please check out this paper as it will serve as a "game changer" in our ability to study the BSF and its use to produce protein while protecting the environment.

I cannot say enough in terms of the joy I am currently feeling with this paper being published- a massive leap forward in the scientific exploration of the BSF.

Many thanks to the team as they were great to work with on this project. Special thanks for Yongping (friend and colleague) for spearheading this project.  Enjoy the read....

Zhan, S., G. Fang, M. Cai, Z. Kou, J. Xu, Y. Cao, L. Bai, Y. Zhang, Y. Jiang, X. Luo, J. Xu, X. Xu, L. Zheng, Z. Yu, H. Yang, Z. Zhang, S. Wang, J. K. Tomberlin, J. Zhang, and Y. Huang. 2019. Genomic landscape and genetic manipulation of the black soldier fly Hermetia illucens, a natural waste recycler. Cell Research.

One aspect of producing BSF is the typical approach taken for growing BSF is quite general (i.e., not detail oriented). Young larvae are put in a pan with a specified amount of food with the expectation that after a given amount of time, the larvae will peak in terms of growth and food digestion and then be harvested.

As you all know- what we expect and what actually occurs can be quite variable- Biology just does stuff like this (i.e., variation).  So, I am often asked how do we develop a more precise approach to producing BSF, while maintaining a high level of precision and accuracy with the model produced?

My typical answer is- well, researchers/industry just have not developed such a system yet (that is publicly available). 

However, studies, such as the one about to be listed might be the next step needed to develop a more precise method for mass production of BSF. 

Gligorescu, A., S. Toft, H. Hauggaard-Nielsen, J. A. Axelsen, and S. A. Nielsen. 2019. Development, growth and metabolic rate of Hermetia illucens larvae. Journal of Applied Entomology 143: 875-881.

The overall conclusions that I reached after reading this article are the following:

1. Prediction of growth patterns of BSF larvae is relatively consistent (as expected) with slow growth initially followed by vertical growth (i.e., think- weight over time) and then a plateau. This overview is not new, but it does illustrate a point. There is a window of maximum growth producers want to identify with their colony. Predicting when that portion of the growth pattern is complete should represent a harvesting time point. By identifying this point in development, producers could reduce their "in pan" production time by 2 days or more. From a production standpoint, reducing development time that amount is quite significant as related to space occupied by pans and resulting production.

2. Heat generation (significant) occurs at a set point in the development cycle. Producers should be aware of this time point- too much heat and the waste will compost and the larvae will stop feeding. A remedy would be to identify that time point, mix the waste, and allow the heat to escape (be aware, such a process also blends the BSF waste with food not consumed which could be an issue). 

3. Something not discussed, or I missed it, is along this growth pattern, the larvae will shift from protein accumulation to fat accumulation. If identified, producers could harvest larvae with different nutrient compositions (e.g., high protein/low fat and vice versa).  Of course, many of you have already thought about this point I am sure. But, I like to put it out there for others to consider.

An area sorely overlooked in our field is the use of the digestate remaining after BSF are used to recycle organic waste as a fertilizer or plant substrate. The following paper explored this topic.

Setti, L., E. Francia, A. Pulvirenti, S. Gigliano, M. Zaccardelli, C. Pane, F. Caradonia, S. Bortolini, L. Maistrello, and D. Ronga. 2019. Use of black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens (L.), Diptera: Stratiomyidae) larvae processing residue in peat-based growing media. Waste Management 95: 278-288.
In the study, they raised BSF on the standard Gainesville House Fly Diet. So, the residue is a bit "laboratory"; however, I think they selected the appropriate starting point. Based on data generated from this study, future research can explore residues from other organic material digested.

The takeaway- yes, the waste/digestate can be used as a partial commercial peat replacement (20%) to grow baby leaf lettuce, basil, and tomato.

But- we really need to build on these results and explore different residues (i.e., different organic material digested by BSF) as substrates for growing plants.

Insects as Food & Feed in the News!

Robots Producing Insects (USA):  Great video on cricket production. Also, nice discussion on the global perspective of insect farming.

Insects to Feed Pets (UK): A discussion on insects as food for pets- with some suggestions of items dogs shouldn't eat.

Cookies & Insects (EU): An overview of insects as food ingredients. 

Bugtoberfest (Texas, USA):  A great outreach event on entomology in general.

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