Improvement of <i>Tenebrio molitor</i> Larvae Farming and Fatty Acid Composition by Supplementation with Vegetable Waste

Abstract

T. molitor larvae were fed with wheat bran (W) and supplemented (1:1) with cucumber (C + W) or tomato (T + W) agricultural wastes, from conventional or ecological farming, for 6 weeks. Weekly and fortnightly measurements of larvae weight/tray and length were taken, respectively. At the end of the study, the fatty acid composition of the larvae was analyzed using GC-MS. On day 43, the weight of larvae supplemented with wastes almost doubled that reached by the control larvae (647–720 vs. 370 g/tray), which were 15% smaller. Supplementation decreased the larval fat content and increased the polyunsaturated fatty acids between 22–37%, with linoleic acid being the most abundant.

Keywords

• <i>Tenebrio molitor</i>
• insect farming
• fatty acids
• agricultural waste
• diet supplementation
• larval production