The larvae of the black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) are considered a promising source of sustainable protein, as they contain high-quality protein comparable to soy protein. They can produce this protein from a wide variety of biomass sources, including by-products and residues from agriculture and food processing. However, while their potential is the subject of intense debate, little is known about the emission of greenhouse gases during their rearing.
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Roughly 9kg of feed to make 1kg of animal protein (livestock).
Vs 1 kg of feed to make 9kg of insect protein.
IIRC.
So, uhh, genuine question, where does the extra 8kg of mass come from?
You’re right: nothing produces 9-kg of protein on 1-kg of feed.
Here are some feed-conversion-ratios: https://image.slidesharecdn.com/mikewilkinson-150219083856-conversion-gate01/95/redefining-efficiency-of-feed-use-by-livestock-mike-wilkinson-3-638.jpg?cb=1424335600
Those aren’t protein, those are total, from what I can see.
_ /\ _
Reproduction i would assume
But even with reproduction, the elements for the mass need to come from somewhere. There’s a reason that pregnant women say they are eating for two.
An insect is not a magic mass producing machine, it cannot produce more than it takes in… however, the quality of the food needed for insects is much lower than what’s needed for something like a cow.
Im not an entomologist and im really just spitballing, but maybe it comes from the air like trees?
I jumped down the rabbit hole because I like the idea that insects could harvest carbon from the atmosphere… especially since carbon is required for amino acids. But it looks like that’s not the case (great hypothesis though!)
I did find a reliable source that puts insect food to protein conversion at 2:1, which is still impressive compared to a cow at around 8:1.
From https://www.fao.org/edible-insects/en?hl=en-US#%3A~%3Atext=%232%2Ckg+of+body+weight+gain.
Oh neat! Thanks for sharing