The nutritional profile, mineral content and heavy metal uptake of yellow mealworm reared with supplementation of agricultural sidestreams
Abstract Insect farming, a potential approach to deal with the increasing global protein demand, is a new activity in the Western world with many unanswered questions regarding product quality and safety. Insects may fulfill an important role in a circular economy by upcycling biowaste into valuable...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2023-07-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-38747-w |
| _version_ | 1797774256282533888 |
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| author | Isabelle Noyens Floris Schoeters Meggie Van Peer Siebe Berrens Sarah Goossens Sabine Van Miert |
| author_facet | Isabelle Noyens Floris Schoeters Meggie Van Peer Siebe Berrens Sarah Goossens Sabine Van Miert |
| author_sort | Isabelle Noyens |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Insect farming, a potential approach to deal with the increasing global protein demand, is a new activity in the Western world with many unanswered questions regarding product quality and safety. Insects may fulfill an important role in a circular economy by upcycling biowaste into valuable biomass. About half of the total mass of mealworm feeding substrates exists out of wet feed. This can be sourced from biowaste, increasing the sustainability of insect farming. This paper reports on the nutritional profile of yellow mealworm, Tenebrio molitor, reared with supplementation of organic sidestreams. These included unsold vegetables, potato cuttings, fermented chicory roots and horticultural foliage. The evaluation was performed by analyzing proximate compositions, fatty acid profiles, mineral and heavy metal contents. Mealworms fed with potato cuttings doubled their fat content and increased saturated and mono-unsaturated fatty acids. Providing fermented chicory roots increased the mineral content and accumulated heavy metals. Additionally, the uptake of minerals by mealworms was selective as only calcium, iron and manganese concentrations increased. Adding vegetable mix or horticultural foliage to the diet did not significantly change the nutritional profile. In conclusion, sidestreams were successfully recycled into protein-rich biomass and their nutrient content and bio-availability influenced the composition of mealworms. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T22:18:22Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f369a337d1b4439d8588101d38931257 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T22:18:22Z |
| publishDate | 2023-07-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-f369a337d1b4439d8588101d389312572023-07-23T11:14:27ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222023-07-0113111110.1038/s41598-023-38747-wThe nutritional profile, mineral content and heavy metal uptake of yellow mealworm reared with supplementation of agricultural sidestreamsIsabelle Noyens0Floris Schoeters1Meggie Van Peer2Siebe Berrens3Sarah Goossens4Sabine Van Miert5RADIUS, Thomas More University of Applied SciencesRADIUS, Thomas More University of Applied SciencesRADIUS, Thomas More University of Applied SciencesRADIUS, Thomas More University of Applied SciencesRADIUS, Thomas More University of Applied SciencesRADIUS, Thomas More University of Applied SciencesAbstract Insect farming, a potential approach to deal with the increasing global protein demand, is a new activity in the Western world with many unanswered questions regarding product quality and safety. Insects may fulfill an important role in a circular economy by upcycling biowaste into valuable biomass. About half of the total mass of mealworm feeding substrates exists out of wet feed. This can be sourced from biowaste, increasing the sustainability of insect farming. This paper reports on the nutritional profile of yellow mealworm, Tenebrio molitor, reared with supplementation of organic sidestreams. These included unsold vegetables, potato cuttings, fermented chicory roots and horticultural foliage. The evaluation was performed by analyzing proximate compositions, fatty acid profiles, mineral and heavy metal contents. Mealworms fed with potato cuttings doubled their fat content and increased saturated and mono-unsaturated fatty acids. Providing fermented chicory roots increased the mineral content and accumulated heavy metals. Additionally, the uptake of minerals by mealworms was selective as only calcium, iron and manganese concentrations increased. Adding vegetable mix or horticultural foliage to the diet did not significantly change the nutritional profile. In conclusion, sidestreams were successfully recycled into protein-rich biomass and their nutrient content and bio-availability influenced the composition of mealworms.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-38747-w |
| spellingShingle | Isabelle Noyens Floris Schoeters Meggie Van Peer Siebe Berrens Sarah Goossens Sabine Van Miert The nutritional profile, mineral content and heavy metal uptake of yellow mealworm reared with supplementation of agricultural sidestreams Scientific Reports |
| title | The nutritional profile, mineral content and heavy metal uptake of yellow mealworm reared with supplementation of agricultural sidestreams |
| title_full | The nutritional profile, mineral content and heavy metal uptake of yellow mealworm reared with supplementation of agricultural sidestreams |
| title_fullStr | The nutritional profile, mineral content and heavy metal uptake of yellow mealworm reared with supplementation of agricultural sidestreams |
| title_full_unstemmed | The nutritional profile, mineral content and heavy metal uptake of yellow mealworm reared with supplementation of agricultural sidestreams |
| title_short | The nutritional profile, mineral content and heavy metal uptake of yellow mealworm reared with supplementation of agricultural sidestreams |
| title_sort | nutritional profile mineral content and heavy metal uptake of yellow mealworm reared with supplementation of agricultural sidestreams |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-38747-w |
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