Reversing the nutrient drain through urban insect farming—opportunities and challenges
Cities consume the majority of proteins produced globally but have unsustainable, linear food systems from production to consumption to disposal, resulting in significant nutrient losses. The industrial rearing of insects is a promising strategy for converting otherwise lost nutrients back into prot...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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AIMS Press
2018-11-01
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| Series: | AIMS Bioengineering |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.aimspress.com/article/10.3934/bioeng.2018.4.226/fulltext.html |
| _version_ | 1818367174210748416 |
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| author | Yingyu Law Leo Wein |
| author_facet | Yingyu Law Leo Wein |
| author_sort | Yingyu Law |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Cities consume the majority of proteins produced globally but have unsustainable, linear food systems from production to consumption to disposal, resulting in significant nutrient losses. The industrial rearing of insects is a promising strategy for converting otherwise lost nutrients back into protein-rich animal feed and fertilizer, particularly to supplement local food production. The black soldier fly (BSF), <em>Hermetia illucens</em>, has been identified as a candidate for industrial rearing. BSF has a superior feed conversion ratio and cycle-time compared to other edible insects and can convert and recover nutrients from a vast variety of organic materials to protein, oil and chitin making it an attractive solution for the management of urban organic solid waste. With an increasing awareness of the environmental urgency and interest in the economic potential of the technology, this review discusses the technological factors confounding the upscaling of insect farming in urban and peri-urban contexts using BSF as a case study. These include the challenges of feed homogenisation and pre-treatment, of integrating insect life-cycle factors (e.g. mating) with bioprocess engineering concepts (which complicates automation), of meeting the nutritional requirements of the larvae at different stages of growth in order to maximize bioconversion and product quality, and of elucidating the impact of microbiome on complex behaviours and bioconversion. A multidisciplinary effort is therefore required to lead urban insect farming to full development to ultimately contribute to future food security. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-13T22:47:51Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7cdd7ac32da84c98b0c95024d63a1506 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2375-1487 2375-1495 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-13T22:47:51Z |
| publishDate | 2018-11-01 |
| publisher | AIMS Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | AIMS Bioengineering |
| spelling | doaj.art-7cdd7ac32da84c98b0c95024d63a15062022-12-21T23:28:42ZengAIMS PressAIMS Bioengineering2375-14872375-14952018-11-015422623710.3934/bioeng.2018.4.226Reversing the nutrient drain through urban insect farming—opportunities and challengesYingyu Law0Leo Wein11 Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, 637551, Singapore2 Protenga Pte. Ltd, SingaporeCities consume the majority of proteins produced globally but have unsustainable, linear food systems from production to consumption to disposal, resulting in significant nutrient losses. The industrial rearing of insects is a promising strategy for converting otherwise lost nutrients back into protein-rich animal feed and fertilizer, particularly to supplement local food production. The black soldier fly (BSF), <em>Hermetia illucens</em>, has been identified as a candidate for industrial rearing. BSF has a superior feed conversion ratio and cycle-time compared to other edible insects and can convert and recover nutrients from a vast variety of organic materials to protein, oil and chitin making it an attractive solution for the management of urban organic solid waste. With an increasing awareness of the environmental urgency and interest in the economic potential of the technology, this review discusses the technological factors confounding the upscaling of insect farming in urban and peri-urban contexts using BSF as a case study. These include the challenges of feed homogenisation and pre-treatment, of integrating insect life-cycle factors (e.g. mating) with bioprocess engineering concepts (which complicates automation), of meeting the nutritional requirements of the larvae at different stages of growth in order to maximize bioconversion and product quality, and of elucidating the impact of microbiome on complex behaviours and bioconversion. A multidisciplinary effort is therefore required to lead urban insect farming to full development to ultimately contribute to future food security.https://www.aimspress.com/article/10.3934/bioeng.2018.4.226/fulltext.htmlorganic waste valorisation| nutrient recycling| animal feed| alternative protein source| process optimization| black soldier fly (BSF)| fish meal replacement |
| spellingShingle | Yingyu Law Leo Wein Reversing the nutrient drain through urban insect farming—opportunities and challenges AIMS Bioengineering organic waste valorisation| nutrient recycling| animal feed| alternative protein source| process optimization| black soldier fly (BSF)| fish meal replacement |
| title | Reversing the nutrient drain through urban insect farming—opportunities and challenges |
| title_full | Reversing the nutrient drain through urban insect farming—opportunities and challenges |
| title_fullStr | Reversing the nutrient drain through urban insect farming—opportunities and challenges |
| title_full_unstemmed | Reversing the nutrient drain through urban insect farming—opportunities and challenges |
| title_short | Reversing the nutrient drain through urban insect farming—opportunities and challenges |
| title_sort | reversing the nutrient drain through urban insect farming opportunities and challenges |
| topic | organic waste valorisation| nutrient recycling| animal feed| alternative protein source| process optimization| black soldier fly (BSF)| fish meal replacement |
| url | https://www.aimspress.com/article/10.3934/bioeng.2018.4.226/fulltext.html |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT yingyulaw reversingthenutrientdrainthroughurbaninsectfarmingopportunitiesandchallenges AT leowein reversingthenutrientdrainthroughurbaninsectfarmingopportunitiesandchallenges |