Valorization of by-products from vegetal supply chains using insects: new solutions for feed, agronomic and energy purposes
The byproducts obtained from processing of crop products in the agro-food chains, which constitute a substantial item of the regional landscape, are currently directed mainly towards bio-digesters. In the perspective of circular economy, this plan is aimed at a sustainable and innovative valorization of the byproducts of some vegetable chains (fruit/vegetables, wine, olive oil) to achieve high value-added products, functional for food, agronomic and energy purposes, by using non-pest insects, the Black Soldier Flies (BSF).
The agri-food byproducts, characterized and mixed according to seasonal availability, will act as growth substrate for the BSF larvae, and evaluated for massive insect production. The obtained larval biomass will be fractionated in the protein, lipid and chitin fractions and characterized according to the different substrates, for the functional evaluation of their use for animal feed, biofuels and other industrial purposes. The residual compost will be used in agronomic trials. LCC-LCA will evaluate the economic and environmental sustainability of processes and products.
1. Obtainment of formulations of organic substrates for the optimal growth of the BSF in the different periods of the year, to ensure an efficient production of BSF, defining the relative growth parameters.
2. Fractionation protocols, industrially scalable, of the biomolecules (protein, lipid and chitin fractions) from the larval biomass obtained on selected substrates. Characterization of the obtained fractions to evaluate the potential use of proteins and chitin for animal feed, biomedical and nutraceutical purposes, and of lipids for nutritional properties and for biofuels.
3. Field evaluations of the residual compost after BSF rearing on the agronomic performance, in terms of improvement of soil fertility and as a productive and qualitative stimulus for agricultural crops.
4. Quantification of the environmental and economic impacts arising from the BSF rearing and its biomass extraction processes by means of LCA and LCC.
The achievement of high value-added products from agro-food byproducts provides the opportunity to increase profitability and to diversify the productions for several companies of the regional production context, with a possible relocation of productions both in agricultural and non-agricultural fields. The industrialization of insect rearing will also support the development of industries for the transformation of larval biomass, thanks to the application of the extraction protocols developed in the project.
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Bioprodotti di qualità da scarti vegetali e insetti - Waste aprile-giugno 2019
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Poster Summer School Course - Università di Verona 24/26-06-19
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Poster II edizione Giornata per il futuro della ricerca nella Chimica degli alimenti - UNIMI 23/24-09-19
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Poster IPIFF International Workshop - Bruxelles 3-12-19
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Valorization of seasonal agri-food leftovers through insects - Science of The Total Environment dicembre 2019
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Optimization of Hermetia illucens (L.) egg laying under different nutrition and light conditions - Rivista PLOS ONE 24/04/2020
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Insetti per la valorizzazione di scarti vegetali: l’economia circolare grazie alle mosche soldato - AgriCulture FIDAF 26-02-2020
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Sottoprodotti agroalimentari valorizzati con le mosche soldato - Informatore Agrario n. 32 2020
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Video con i risultati del progetto
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