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.

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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  • Art3mis@lemmy.world
    1·
    1 day ago

    Im not an entomologist and im really just spitballing, but maybe it comes from the air like trees?

    • Bob Robertson IX @discuss.tchncs.deEnglish
      3·
      17 hours ago

      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.

      Insects have a high feed conversion efficiency because they are cold-blooded. On average, insects can convert 2 kg of feed into 1 kg of insect mass, whereas cattle require 8 kg of feed to produce 1 kg of body weight gain.