Journal of Environmental Biology

Early report of effect of diet on physical properties of black soldier fly larvae meal

D. Saicharan¹*, V. Anitha², G. Anitha³, S. Hariharan⁴ and P. Bhojendra²     

¹Central Silk Board, Silkworm Seed Production Centre (Muga), Kaliabari, Boko-781 123, India

²Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture, Rajendranagar, PJTAU, Hyderabad-500 030, India

³Department of Entomology, College of Agriculture, Adilabad, PJTAU, Hyderabad-504 001, India

⁴Division of Entomology, ICAR-IARI Mega University, Hyderabad-500 030, India

Received: 26 November 2024                   Revised: 13 March 2024                   Accepted: 05 April 2025

*Corresponding Author Email : charan.dharavath@gmail.com                  *ORCiD: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6037-7035

Abstract

Aim: This study was undertaken to document the influence of a 50:50 combination of food waste and various agricultural byproducts on the particle size, bulk density and colour of Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFL) meal, addressing how dietary composition influences its potential as animal feed.

Methodology: Ten treatments, each combining equal proportions of food waste with specific agricultural byproducts, were prepared and replicated three times. BSF larvae were fed these diets, and the resulting meal was analysed for colour (using the CIELAB system) (Schneider et al., 2012), particle size (measured with Image J software) (Schneider et al., 2012), and bulk density following Okezie and Bello (1998).

Results: Significant variations were observed across treatments. The lightest meal was produced from food waste combined with groundnut cake (L* = 95.04), while the darkest meal came from food waste with sesame cake (L^* = 55.69). Particle size was smallest in the groundnut cake treatment (0.051 mm^²) and largest in safflower cake (0.559 mm²). The control group (Gainesville diet) exhibited the highest bulk density (0.6132 g ml^-1), while the lowest was found in food waste with rice bran (0.2984 g ml^-1).

Interpretation: The study indicates that dietary composition significantly influences BSFL meal’s physical properties, providing insights for optimizing formulations in animal feed production.

Key words: Animal nutrition, Black soldier fly larvae, Feed formulation, Hermetia illucens, Waste management

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