ANNOUNCEMENTS
Improper waste disposal is a major challenge towards sustainable development. Agri- waste demands specific attention due to the vast volumes generated and their open burning or disposal in landfills leading to the generation of greenhouse gases as they decompose. New innovative strategies have been developed to redirect the waste generated in an eco-friendly manner, insect rearing being one promising valorisation process for the same.
Black Soldier Fly (BSF, Hermetia illucens) is a model insect for the decomposition of organic waste with concomitant generation of insect biomass and high nutrient fertiliser. The current project explores the ways and means to optimise the insect rearing process by treating the organic waste with commercially available baker’s yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB, Lactobacillus casei, strain – Shirota) via Solid State Fermentation (SSF) in an industrial setup via on-field experimentation.
The project aims to increase the net digestible content of the waste substrate through SSF to make the overall process more efficient in terms of the products generated in record time. This project explores the industrial cultivation of Black Soldier Fly with specific emphasis on the treatment of organic substrate sourced from farmer’s market for easy digestion by black soldier fly larvae, so that the larvae are able to generate high quality biomass in record time.
Solid State Fermentation (SSF) was carried out with L. casei (Shirota) and S. cerevisiae, obtained from commercial sources. The effect on the waste substrate was measured through nutrient profiling and the applicability of waste substrate The larval growth on different fermented substrates was measured at the BSF rearing facility of GreenGrahi Solutions Pvt Ltd. in Roorkee, Uttarakhand.
Keywords- Insect rearing, solid state fermentation, waste management, circular economy.
