Publication Type
Journal Article
Journal Name
Cleaner Waste Systems
Publication Date
12-1-2025
Abstract
Amidst escalating global urbanization and population growth, revolutionizing food systems and redefining waste management strategies has become essential. This study contributes to protein resource diversification in animal feed and offers a sustainable solution for organic waste management using black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) in Bafia, Cameroon. A survey characterized waste production in restaurants and households to assess quantity and quality. Collected organic wastes underwent two pre-treatments: heating, (60°C) and fermentation (4 days), while another batch was used fresh as a feeding substrate for BSFL, in contrast to a broiler starter diet over a 17-day larval feeding experimental period. Various parameters were evaluated, including the physicochemical properties of the substrates, bioconversion rates, growth parameters, life cycle traits of adult BSF, and nutritional composition of the larvae, were evaluated. The survey revealed significant disparities in food waste disposal practices: 98 % of restaurants disposed of waste indiscriminately, whereas 95 % of households reported using food waste as fertilizer. In the experimental phase, heat treatment resulted in the highest substrate temperature and pH. Compared with those reared on other substrates, larvae reared on heated substrates demonstrated superior daily weight gains (0.05 g/larva/day) and bioconversion rates (41.76 %) compared to other substrates. Additionally, larvae from heat-treated substrates presented higher lipid (35 %) and protein (29.89 %) contents than those from all other organic waste treatments, although this protein content was lower than that of the broiler starter (37.53 %). This study highlights the potential of heat-pretreated waste for producing high-quality BSFL, providing a promising avenue for sustainable protein sourcing in animal feed while addressing organic waste management challenges.
Keywords
Household Waste, Insect Larvae, Organic Waste Recycling, Protein Resource Diversification, Sustainable Animal Feed
Recommended Citation
Hervé, M., Lionel, G., Serge, N., Daniel, D., Chia, S., Raphael, K., Augustave, K., Rousseau, D., & Ndindeng, S. (2025). Pretreatment methods for organic waste management as feed for black soldier fly. Cleaner Waste Systems, 12 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clwas.2025.100365