Promotion of by-products of plant supply chains through insects: new solutions for food, agronomic and energy uses.
With a view to a circular economy, the Centro Ricerche Produzioni Vegetali project aims at a sustainable and innovative promotion of the by-products of some vegetable supply chains (fruit and vegetables, wine, olive oil) to obtain high added-value products that can be used for food, agronomic and energy (biofuels) purposes through the use of non-pest insects, such as the Hermetia also known as the 'black soldier fly' (BSF).
The intervention funded the optimisation of the qualitative-quantitative characteristics of black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae reared in relation to the seasonality of the by-products of fruit and vegetable and olive processing, and thanks to the elaboration of a special experimental design. In particular, mixtures were identified that maximise larval growth and reduce development time and mortality for each identified period (annual, summer, autumn mix). Obtaining high value-added products (e.g. high-quality protein, comparable to soya and eggs) from agro-food by-products offers the opportunity to increase profitability and diversify the commercial offer of regional enterprises and also makes possible both an agricultural and non-agricultural productive repositioning.
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