Determination of black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens L.) growth and nutrition on food waste and bovine blood mixture as a feedstock

Abstract

Bovine blood is considered one of the major biowastes in a slaughterhouse that contains high nutrition that can be recycled and utilized, especially protein. However, the current treatment to address the issue of bovine blood was confronted with a pressing issue: environmental pollution and cost effectivity. Therefore, it is necessary to convert bovine blood into a high-value form using a bioreactor. Black soldier fly offers a wide range of bioconverting solutions that have the potential to convert bovine blood into a high-value and more acceptable protein source. However, little is known about the growth and nutritional content of black soldier fly larvae fed with bovine blood as their feedstock constituent. Here we show the life span, survival rate, growth rate, waste reduction index, and feed conversion efficiency of black soldier fly larvae fed with bovine blood as feedstock. In a controlled environment, 20 % bovine blood treatment achieved the highest growth rate and protein content. The study's results suggest that black soldier fly larvae, when combined with food waste, can bioconvert bovine blood, resulting in a significant final larval weight and high protein content. The resulting prepupal and pupae hold potential as nutritionally valuable feed for poultry and fish.