Recycling of Mediterranean Fruit Fly Rearing Waste by Black Soldier Fly, Hermetia illucens

Purpose Objective of this study is the valorisation of mass rearing waste of fruit flies from sterile insect technique facilities by black soldier flies into high quality and quantity products as a sustainable utilisation concept. Methods Different ratios of medfly rearing waste in hen feed were used for rearing black solder fly (BSF) larvae. The growth rate and insect survival were determined. Moreover, the mass gains were determined and bioconversion rates were assessed. Furthermore, the nutritional compositions of BSF pupae were analysed to evaluate the product quality. Results The omnivorous BSF larvae were highly efficient at converting digested waste into body mass as compared to the control treatment (hen feed). High weight of pre-pupae was recorded for all experimental diets. The efficacy of larvae to reach pupae ranged from 92.5 to 98.5%, while the efficacy of pupae to reach adults ranged from 81.7 to 89.0%. All experimental diets exhibited high rates of prepupal weight, metabolism and efficiency of conversion of digested food. A nutritional analysis revealed that the protein and fat contents were high, while the bioaccumulation of heavy metals was low, Conclusion Medfly rearing waste is a potential feed ingredient for the production of BSF pre-pupae and could be applied to valorise this rearing waste into high-value feed. [GRAPHICS]