Maximizing the protein and fat recovery in black soldier fly larvae: a comparative study of drying methods

Maximizing the protein and fat recovery in black soldier fly larvae: a comparative study of drying methods | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Maximizing the protein and fat recovery in black soldier fly larvae: a comparative study of drying methods Aishwarya Bellanki, Pradeep Shivanand, Prabhuraj Aralimarad, Sharanabasappa S Deshmukh, and 2 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-5725821/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 5 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The black soldier flies (BSF, Hermetia illucens ) have become a novel and sustainable source of micronutrients, lipids, protein, and chitin. Because they are voracious eaters, larvae turn a variety of organic waste into useful resources like protein feed for fish, pigs, and chickens. Larvae of black soldier flies can be composted in addition to being used as animal feed. The purpose of this study was to compare several drying techniques for black soldier fly larvae in order to provide high-quality results. A microwave oven, solar tunnel dryer, tray drier, sun drying, and drum roasting were the five methods used to dry the adult larvae. Different time and temperature interactions are used in each method. According to the results, the drum roasting method recovered more crude protein and crude fat (32.72 and 48.52%, respectively). Following fat extraction, the maximum amount of fat was removed, increasing the crude protein level to 49.17%. Given that the crude protein recovery was lower under both normal and defatted conditions (26.48 ± 0.36% and 42.97 ± 0.74%); the solar tunnel drying method was the least popular of all the drying techniques. Thus, without compromising the nutritional value of BSFL meant for use as animal feed, our study indicates that the drum roasting process is superior to conventional drying techniques. Hermetia illucens Drum roaster Defatted Proximate composition Introduction Black soldier fly Hermetia illucens , (Linnaeus) (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) larvae are voracious eaters and can consume various organic materials, including food scraps, agricultural waste, and manure. By consuming organic waste, BSF larvae reduce the volume of waste materials and also transform the waste into nutrient-rich biomass which can be harvested and used as a valuable resource (Amrulet al., 2022 ; Kim et al., 2021 , Siddiqui et al., 2022 ). BSF larvae can reduce the production of greenhouse gases like methane, which is released when organic matter decomposes anaerobically in landfills (Pang et al., 2020 ; Boakye-Yiadom et al., 2022 ). Apart from waste conversion, BSF larvae are a good source of protein and fat serving as a good feed (Liland et al., 2017 ). Due to its easy production and fast growth rate, it is considered one of the potential animal feed as the quality of animal feed is one of the factors that determine the success of the livestock business; in addition, feed is the largest maintenance cost factor, which is 50–70 per cent (Katayene et al., 2014; Kurniawan et al., 2024 ;). The body of BSF also has good microbes that can fight pathogenic microbes making it safe from pathogenic microbes that can harm livestock (Van Huis, 2013 ). The major challenge in using Black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) is the shelf life of harvested larvae. Larvae are living materials that, if not treated, will continue to grow into adult flies (Purnamasari et al., 2021 ) and if stored in a dead condition, will putrify due to high water content. Improper drying can reduce the protein and amino acid content of the feed. Hence, the selection of the drying method and the appropriate drying time will facilitate the process of chemical analysis, storage, and preservation of feed. The purpose of drying is to increase durability, reduce packaging costs, minimize transport weight, improve the test of the ingredients, and maintain the nutritional content of the ingredients (Achanta and Okos., 2000). Therefore, the present study was undertaken to standardize the drying method for maximizing the protein and fat recovery of black soldier fly. Material and Methods Experimental set up The BSFL were reared on kitchen waste the hostel consisting of cooked rice, vegetables and curry in an open condition protected with plastic rooftops. The temperature and relative humidity ranged from 28 to 32℃ with a mean of 29 ± 2 ℃ and 60 to 70% with a mean of 64 ± 5%, respectively. The larvae were fed with the food at a 1:4 ratio w/w (1 part of larva and 4 part of food) for 15 days. Larvae when attained maximum weight as indicated by change in larval color from creamy to light brownish color were subjected to slaughtering followed by drying. Slaughtering of larval samples BSFL of 15-day-olds were slaughtered by blanching. Before slaughtering, the BSFL were sieved and washed in cold water. Blanching slaughtering was performed by immersing the larvae in water at 90℃, with a sample-to-water ratio of 1: 10 (w/v) for five minutes. Thereafter, the larvae were immersed in cold water and then drained. After slaughtering the BSF larvae were divided into five batches with different quantities depending on different drying procedures and dried. Each drying method had a different time and temperature interaction. Source of drying methods The BSFL were dried using five different drying methods namely, microwave oven (180℃ for 35 min), tray dryer (60℃ for 17 h), solar tunnel dryer (60℃ for seven days), sun drying (under direct sunlight from 9 AM to 4 PM for seven days) and drum roaster drying (180℃ for 30 min). Deffating of dried BSF larva Dried BSF larvae from each drying method were subjected to a fat extraction process using Soxhlet method. After fat extraction (Defatting), proximate analysis was conducted for all the samples. Chemical analysis Biochemical composition of dried and defatted BSFL were analyzed for moisture content, ash, crude fat, crude protein, crude fiber and carbohydrate using standardized AOAC methods at Pesticide Residue and Food Quality Analysis Laboratory (PRFQAL), Raichur. Moisture was quantified by using an oven by drying samples at 105 ± 10℃ for 12 hours until constant weight. Ash content was determined as the residue remaining after incineration of samples at 550℃ in a muffle furnace for 5 to 6 hours. Crude fat content was measured by the ether–extraction method in a soxhlet extraction unit. Crude protein was determined by the Kjeldahl method using an automatic system. The crude fiber was determined by muslin cloth method as the sample was subjected to acid digestion followed by alkali digestion and the remaining residue was weighed and burned in muffle furnace. Carbohydrate content was determined by subtracting the sum of the values (per 100g) for moisture, crude fat, crude protein, and total ash from 100 (AOAC, 2022 ). Statistical analysis The statistical analysis was performed by SPSS 22.0 (SPSS V.22 IBM). The data about different parameters were subjected to one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) by Completely Randomized Design, with four replications for the test of significance and calculation of critical significance. Means and standard errors were calculated for comparison purposes at a 1% level of significance. For comparing means between the treatments, the Tukey’s HSD (honestly significant differences) test was utilized. P < 0.01 was considered to indicate a significant difference between the valuses compared. Results and Discussion Different drying techniques showed a notable difference in the moisture content of dried BSF larvae under both normal and defatted conditions. Compared to defatted larvae, typical dried larvae generally had a lower moisture content. Among the various drying techniques used, the drum roaster dry had the lowest moisture content (1.64 ± 0.02% and 4.87 ± 0.02% for normal and defatted larvae), while the microwave oven and solar tunnel dryer had the highest moisture content (4.15 ± 0.06% of normal dried BSFL) and 6.79 ± 0.08% of defatted BSFL), followed by sun drying (2.21 ± 0.03% and 5.45 ± 0.12% for both normal dried and defatted conditions, respectively). Additionally, we found that, under typical drying circumstances, the moisture content of BSFL from all drying procedures was lower than that of defatted conditions. The previous studies have reported the moisture content in normal dried BSF larvae with the range from 3.47–11.97% (Gadzama et al., 2023 , Saputra and Lee ,2023) in defatted BSF larvae with the range from 6.02–11.10% (Son et al., 2023 , Edah and Owolabi., 2023, Saputra and Lee, 2023 ). Both under normal and defatted circumstances, the amount of ash in dried black soldier fly larvae from various drying techniques varied considerably. In comparison to the defatted state, which varied from 14.83 to 16.81 percent, the ash level was substantially lower in typical drying circumstances, ranging from 5.78 to 7.52%. Overall, the solar tunnel drier larvae had the highest ash content, averaging 7.80 ± 0.06 percent and 16.81 ± 0.31 percent, followed by the tray dryer with 7.49 ± 0.24% and 16.44 ± 0.17% under both normal dried and defatted condtions, respectively. Larvae of sun drying recorded the lowest ash content with 5.78 ± 0.09% (Normal dried) and 14.83 ± 0.09% (Defatted). The findings are in line with previous studies, recorded with an average of 7.83–8.87% in different drying methods (Gadzama et al., 2023 . Son et al .,2023) and Saputra and Lee, 2023 and Son et al., 2023 are reported with an average of 12.9–22.00% of ash content in defatted BSF larva by different drying methods. Tables 1 and 2 also depicts the significant variation in crude fat content of all the dried and defatted samples by different drying methods (p < 0.01), respectively. The crude fat content observed in the current study was higher compared to previous studies. It was found that the highest crude fat content of BSF larvae resulting from the microwave oven method with an average of 54.98 ± 0.46% compared to the lowest fat content in the drum roaster drying method with an average of 48.52 ± 1.02% under normal dried conditions. There was a little variation observed among Tray dried (53.28 ± 0.51), solar tunnel-dried (52.54 ± 0.55), and sun-dried (52.96 ± 0.32) larvae. This may be due to different drying conditions i.e. , drying time and temperature, growing region. Previously, Kim et al. ( 2023 ) observed 46.20% CP for BSF larvae when dried by using the hot air food drying method at 70℃ for 17 hours. The fat content in larvae may also vary with the feeding substrates. According to Chia et al ( 2020 ), where larvae fed with brewer’s yeast plus molasses yielded 49 per cent of crude fat content. Table 1 Proximate analysis of BSF larvae of different drying methods (Normal dried or without defatted) Proximate composition (%) Sl. No Drying methods Moisture Ash Crude fat Crude Protein Crude Fiber Energy 01 Microwave oven 3.57 ± 0.02 b 6.21 ± 0.27 b 54.98 ± 0.46 a 27.92 ± 0.45 b 14.02 ± 0.53 b 7.29 ± 0.13 e 02 Tray dryer 2.91 ± 0.07 c 7.49 ± 0.24 a 53.28 ± 0.51 a 28.05 ± 0.41 b 17.21 ± 0.15 a 8.26 ± 0.03 d 03 Solar tunnel dryer 4.15 ± 0.06 a 7.80 ± 0.06 a 52.54 ± 0.55 a 26.48 ± 0.36 b 7.05 ± 0.17 d 9.01 ± 0.08 c 04 Sun drying 2.21 ± 0.03 d 5.78 ± 0.09 b 52.96 ± 0.32 a 27.27 ± 0.85 b 11.03 ± 0.06 c 11.75 ± 0.38 a 05 Drum roaster dryer 1.64 ± 0.02 e 7.52 ± 0.08 a 48.52 ± 1.02 b 32.72 ± 0.74 a 13.68 ± 0.17 b 9.58 ± 0.19 b S.Em ± 0.05 0.17 0.62 0.6 0.27 0.2 CD at 1% 0.19 1.72 2.57 2.49 1.12 0.84 CV 3.22 4.95 2.36 4.19 4.28 4.4 All the results were calculated by dry mass. Data are expressed as mean ± S.Em; Different super scripts within a column indicate significant differences across treatments by Tukey’s HSD Test at p < 0.0 Table 2 Proximate composition of BSF larvae of different drying methods (defatted) Proximate composition (%) Sl. No Drying Methods Moisture Ash Crude Fat Crude Protein Crude Fiber Energy 01 Microwave oven 6.79 ± 0.08 b 15.22 ± 0.59 bc 2.11 ± 0.06 d 44.40 ± 0.62 b 9.04 ± 0.11 b 31.48 ± 0.51 ab 02 Tray dryer 6.14 ± 0.2 c 16.44 ± 0.17 ab 1.80 ± 0.03 c 44.52 ± 0.5 b 12.24 ± 0.14 a 31.08 ± 0.69 b 03 Solar tunnel dryer 7.39 ± 0.04 a 16.81 ± 0.31 a 2.97 ± 0.05 a 42.97 ± 0.74 b 7.42 ± 0.14 c 29.87 ± 0.73 bc 04 Sun drying 5.45 ± 0.12 d 14.83 ± 0.15 c 2.34 ± 0.04 b 43.72 ± 0.4 b 6.00 ± 0.14 d 33.48 ± 0.21 a 05 Drum roaster dryer 4.87 ± 0.02 e 16.54 ± 0.13 ab 1.31 ± 0.05 e 49.17 ± 0.55 a 8.70 ± 0.04 b 28.12 ± 0.30 c S.Em ± 0.12 0.32 0.04 0.57 0.21 0.54 CD at 1% 0.48 1.34 0.19 2.4 0.88 2.24 CV 3.76 4.02 4.23 2.56 4.85 3.50 All the results were calculated by dry mass. Data are expressed as mean ± S.Em; Different super scripts within a column indicate significant differences across treatments by Tukey’s HSD Test at p < 0.01. Normal dried BSF larvae from different drying methods were defatted to enrich the protein content for quality animal feed. After defatting, around 97% of the fat was extracted from each normal dried BSF larvae of different drying methods. The crude fat content varied significantly ranging from 1.31 to 2.97% in different drying methods under defatted conditions. The highest fat content was recorded in the solar tunnel dryer with an average of 2.97 ± 0.05%followed by the sun drying method with a mean of 2.34 ± 0.04%. The lowest fat content was yielded in the drum roaster dryer method with an average of 1.31 ± 0.05%. The findings of the current study were in agreement with the previous studies by Monisha and Loganathan (2021), where they recorded 1.18 and 3.61% of crude fat content in defatted BSF larvae dried by freeze-drying and sun-drying methods, respectively. The crude protein content of BSF larvae varied significantly from different drying methods under both normal dried and defatted conditions. In general, the drum roaster drying method resulted highest crude protein content with an average of 32.72 ± 0.74% and 49.17 ± 0.55%followed by the tray dryer with an average of 28.05 ± 0.41% and 44.52 ± 0.50% under both normal and defatted conditions, respectively. In the current study, crude protein content is lower compared to previous studies and also there is little variation was recorded in larvae of Microwave oven (27.92 ± 0.45% and 44.40 ± 0.62%), Solar tunnel dryer(26.48 ± 0.36% and 42.97 ± 0.74%) and Sun drying (27.27 ± 0.85% and 43.72 ± 0.40%)under both normal and defatted conditions, respectively. It might be due to the different feeding substrate, feeding rate, and higher drying temperature as it leads to the denaturation of proteins. The findings of the current are in agreement with the previous studies conducted by Namira et al, ( 2024 ), where drying the larvae at 72℃ for 12 hours resulted in a crude protein content of 25.26%. However, after defatting the crude protein content was enriched with an average of 64% in each defatted BSF larvae by different drying methods. In the same condition crude protein content increased to a higher level may be due to the reduced effect of crude fat dilution. The findings are in agreement with the previous studies by Edah and Owolabi, ( 2023 ), where oven-dried, defatted BSF larvae were observed at 51.83 per cent of crude protein content. A significant variation was recorded in crude fiber content BSF larvae by different drying methods under both normal and defatted conditions (p < 0.01). The tray dryer yielded the highest crude fiber content with an average of 17.21 ± 0.15% and 12.24 ± 0.14%, followed by the Microwave oven with 14.02 ± 0.53% and 9.04 ± 0.11% under both normal and dried conditions respectively. The lowest crude fiber content was recorded in larvae of solar tunnel drying with 7.05 ± 0.17% (Normal dried) and Sun drying with 6.00 ± 0.14%( Defatted). The crude fiber content varied with different diets, processing, and drying methods. The findings are supported by the previous studies by Edah and Owolabi ( 2023 ), Gadzama et al. ( 2023 ), and Saputra and Lee. (2023). Conclusion Larvae of black soldier flies offer an alternate source of protein. They are more prone to deterioration, rotting, and spoiling because of their greater moisture content. When compared to alternative drying techniques, the BSF larvae dried using a drum roaster drier under both regular dried and defatted conditions produced the highest crude protein content (32.72 and 49.17 percent, respectively), without compromising the nutritional value of BSFL meant for animal feed. Declarations Declaration of Competing interest The manuscript entitled “Maximizing the protein and fat recovery in black soldier fly larvae : a comparative study of drying methods by Aishwarya Bellanki, Pradeep Shivanand, Prabhuraj Aralimarad, Sharanabasappa S Deshmukh, Sridhara Sankrappa, Mavinakoppa S Nagaraja declared that the work described has not been published previously, that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, that its publication is approved by all authors and tacitly or explicitly by the responsible authorities where the work was carried out, and that, if accepted, it will not be published elsewhere in the same form, in English or in any other language, including electronically without the written consent of the copyright-holder. Acknowledgement I Acknowledge Pesticide Residue and Food Quality Analysis Laboratory Raichur, Food Processing and Engineering department (FPE) for providing all the facilities. I also thank all the staff members for their continuous support. References Achanta S, Okos M R (2000) Drying technology in agriculture and food science, quality changes during drying of food polymers. Boca Raton (USA): Science Publisher Inc. Amrul N F, Kabir Ahmad I, Ahmad Basri N E, Suja F, Abdul Jalil N A, Azman N A (2022) A review of organic waste treatment using black soldier fly ( Hermetia illucens ). Sustainability 14(8):4565. AOAC (2022), Official Methods of Analysis of AOAC International. Food Composition, Additives, Natural Contaminants. 16th Edition AOAC International Gaithersburg MD USA 35-47. Boakye-Yiadom K A, Ilari A, Duca D (2022) Greenhouse gas emissions and life cycle assessment on the black soldier fly ( Hermetia illucens L.). Sustainability 14(16): 10456. Chia S Y, Tanga C M, Osuga I M, Cheseto X, Ekesi S, Dicke M, Van loon J J (2020) Nutritional composition of black soldier fly larvae feeding on agro‐industrial by‐products. Entomolog Experimentalis et Applicata 168(6-7):472-481. Edah B, Owolabi O D (2023) Physical properties of defatted and extruded black soldier fly ( Hermetia illucens ) larvae-based aqua-feed using a twin-screw extruder. Discov food 3(1):14. Gadzama I U, Malcolm J, Malcolm C (2023) Impact of drying methods of black soldier fly larvae as animal feed - Turning waste into value. Paper presented in Australia (RAAN-A) Conference on Recent Advances in Animal Nutrition, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia, 26-28 Jul, 2023, 29-30 Katayane A F, Wolayan F R, Imbar M R (2014) Produksi dan kandungan protein maggot ( Hermetia illucens ) dengan menggunakan media tumuh berbeda. Journal Zootek 34:27-36. Kim C H, Ryu J, Lee J, Ko K, Lee J Y, Park K Y, Chung H (2021) Use of black soldier fly larvae for food waste treatment and energy production in Asian countries: a review. Processes 9(1):161. Kim J, Kurniawan H, Faqeerzada M A, Kim G, Lee H, Kim M S, Baek I, Cho B K (2023) Proximate content monitoring of black soldier fly larval ( Hermetia illucens ) dry matter for feed material using short-wave infrared hyperspectral imaging. Food Sci Anim Resour 43(6):1150. Kurniawan D, Widodo E, Susilo A, Sjofjan O (2024) Synthesis of selenium conjugated insects’ protein in Hermetia illucens larvae as poultry feed. In BIO Web of Conferences 88, 00004 EDP Sciences. Liland N S, Biancarosa I, Araujo P, Biemans D, Bruckner C G, Waagbø R, Lock E J (2017) Modulation of nutrient composition of black soldier fly ( Hermetia illucens ) larvae by feeding seaweed-enriched media. PloS One 12(8):e0183188. Monisha C, Loganathan M (2022) Impact of drying methods on the physicochemical properties and nutritional composition of defatted black soldier fly ( Hermetia illucens ) pre‐pupae flour. J Food Process Preserv 46(1):e16184. Namira A A, Mulyadi A F, Subekti I F, Hidayat N (2024) Optimization of Temperature and Drying Time of Protein and Fat Levels of Black Soldier Fly ( Hermetia illucens ) Larvae. J Agric Sci 1(4):194-207. Pang W, Hou D, Chen J, Nowar E E, Li Z, Hu R, Tomberlin J K, Yu Z, Li Q, Wang S (2020) Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and enhancing carbon and nitrogen conversion in food wastes by the black soldier fly. J environ manage 260:110066. Purnamasari L, Widyaningrum D C, Muhlison W, Krismaputri M E, Sucipto I, Pratiwi N (2021) November Amino acid profile and proximate composition of black soldier fly larvae ( Hermetia illucens ) with two drying methods. In International Seminar on Livestock Production and Veterinary Technology (48). Saputra I, Lee Y N, (2023) Nutrition composition of commercial full-fat and defatted black soldier fly larvae meal ( Hermetia illucens ) as a potential protein resource for aquafeeds. Biodiversitas 24(9). Siddiqui S A, Ristow B, Rahayu T, Putra N S, Yuwono N W, Mategeko B, Smetana S, Saki M, Nawaz A, Nagdalian A (2022) Black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) and their affinity for organic waste processing. Waste Manag 140:1-13. Son J, Park S H, Jung H J, You S J, Kim B G (2023) Effects of Drying Methods and Blanching on Nutrient Utilization in Black Soldier Fly Larva Meals Based on In Vitro Assays for Pigs. Animals 13(5):858. Van huis A (2013) Potential of insects as food and feed in assuring food security. Annu Rev Entomol 58:563-583. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviewers agreed at journal 18 Jan, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 17 Jan, 2025 Editor invited by journal 09 Jan, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 06 Jan, 2025 First submitted to journal 02 Jan, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-5725821","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":403642215,"identity":"309cf5ef-7534-4331-b0db-536ec7bfe94a","order_by":0,"name":"Aishwarya Bellanki","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABLUlEQVRIie2PMUvDQBTHT4TLctj1QrR+hSuB6FAQv8m7pVOKguDUIVBoBrWuBcF+hfgNDg7SpeIkJCRIihAXh07FoS29aEGRNDoK3m843uPej/97CGk0f5FthD8KirZEhhDDhqc6dvgrBQkoFCIKhVblfFMQhXW7gZpv5M+k88Svb7pCQCe1d8yXx+DtlKqvCyhTqCQHNgnP+CANQUCYO9hyz+NLtRgd3welMZKoGQzci1wmAMumalsRUQqj7VJlXxq55S6BD6OTqYClUsxxK55XKEwix2r3gAeRiwTvSQdTI0yqUhqSONaiD/ZdGjLB+9LGxMXJLqNk0y31h1FuDmawd5t0J9l0JhtDf5THr/NmveZflZ+/5tj7rAl7f6vGC46+1Eb207RGo9H8L1a2WmmgXGL+RgAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"College of Agriculture Shimoga: University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Aishwarya","middleName":"","lastName":"Bellanki","suffix":""},{"id":403642216,"identity":"7e34bcf8-31fc-431d-beae-bc9372315755","order_by":1,"name":"Pradeep Shivanand","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"College of Agriculture Shimoga: University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Pradeep","middleName":"","lastName":"Shivanand","suffix":""},{"id":403642217,"identity":"f56d41cc-3088-4669-9bea-a3f311e7e61f","order_by":2,"name":"Prabhuraj Aralimarad","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Agriculture Sciences Raichur: University of Agricultural Sciences Raichur","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Prabhuraj","middleName":"","lastName":"Aralimarad","suffix":""},{"id":403642218,"identity":"5b07b428-0139-4fcb-b56f-d9ef549efd7b","order_by":3,"name":"Sharanabasappa S Deshmukh","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"College of Agriculture Shimoga: University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Sharanabasappa","middleName":"S","lastName":"Deshmukh","suffix":""},{"id":403642219,"identity":"c412e98e-effa-42b0-8329-6bf4cef36316","order_by":4,"name":"Sridhara Sankrappa","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"College of Agriculture Shimoga: University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Sridhara","middleName":"","lastName":"Sankrappa","suffix":""},{"id":403642220,"identity":"8f50b016-2897-4049-86db-8bd8be35131b","order_by":5,"name":"Mavinakoppa S Nagaraja","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"College of Agriculture Shimoga: University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Mavinakoppa","middleName":"S","lastName":"Nagaraja","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2024-12-28 11:05:04","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-5725821/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-5725821/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":74218646,"identity":"fb41ef90-e8c8-404b-8abc-e2e2b8a32601","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-01-20 06:15:01","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":598752,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5725821/v1/e384832c-fd46-4ccf-841a-655f7c915de1.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"","formattedTitle":"Maximizing the protein and fat recovery in black soldier fly larvae: a comparative study of drying methods","fulltext":[{"header":"Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eBlack soldier fly \u003cem\u003eHermetia illucens\u003c/em\u003e, (Linnaeus) (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) larvae are voracious eaters and can consume various organic materials, including food scraps, agricultural waste, and manure. By consuming organic waste, BSF larvae reduce the volume of waste materials and also transform the waste into nutrient-rich biomass which can be harvested and used as a valuable resource (Amrulet al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e; Kim et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e, Siddiqui et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e). BSF larvae can reduce the production of greenhouse gases like methane, which is released when organic matter decomposes anaerobically in landfills (Pang et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e; Boakye-Yiadom et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eApart from waste conversion, BSF larvae are a good source of protein and fat serving as a good feed (Liland et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e). Due to its easy production and fast growth rate, it is considered one of the potential animal feed as the quality of animal feed is one of the factors that determine the success of the livestock business; in addition, feed is the largest maintenance cost factor, which is 50\u0026ndash;70 per cent (Katayene et al., 2014; Kurniawan et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e;). The body of BSF also has good microbes that can fight pathogenic microbes making it safe from pathogenic microbes that can harm livestock (Van Huis, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe major challenge in using Black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) is the shelf life of harvested larvae. Larvae are living materials that, if not treated, will continue to grow into adult flies (Purnamasari et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e) and if stored in a dead condition, will putrify due to high water content. Improper drying can reduce the protein and amino acid content of the feed. Hence, the selection of the drying method and the appropriate drying time will facilitate the process of chemical analysis, storage, and preservation of feed. The purpose of drying is to increase durability, reduce packaging costs, minimize transport weight, improve the test of the ingredients, and maintain the nutritional content of the ingredients (Achanta and Okos., 2000). Therefore, the present study was undertaken to standardize the drying method for maximizing the protein and fat recovery of black soldier fly.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Material and Methods","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eExperimental set up\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe BSFL were reared on kitchen waste the hostel consisting of cooked rice, vegetables and curry in an open condition protected with plastic rooftops. The temperature and relative humidity ranged from 28 to 32℃ with a mean of 29\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2 ℃ and 60 to 70% with a mean of 64\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;5%, respectively. The larvae were fed with the food at a 1:4 ratio w/w (1 part of larva and 4 part of food) for 15 days. Larvae when attained maximum weight as indicated by change in larval color from creamy to light brownish color were subjected to slaughtering followed by drying.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eSlaughtering of larval samples\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBSFL of 15-day-olds were slaughtered by blanching. Before slaughtering, the BSFL were sieved and washed in cold water. Blanching slaughtering was performed by immersing the larvae in water at 90℃, with a sample-to-water ratio of 1: 10 (w/v) for five minutes. Thereafter, the larvae were immersed in cold water and then drained. After slaughtering the BSF larvae were divided into five batches with different quantities depending on different drying procedures and dried. Each drying method had a different time and temperature interaction.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eSource of drying methods\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe BSFL were dried using five different drying methods namely, microwave oven (180℃ for 35 min), tray dryer (60℃ for 17 h), solar tunnel dryer (60℃ for seven days), sun drying (under direct sunlight from 9 AM to 4 PM for seven days) and drum roaster drying (180℃ for 30 min).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eDeffating of dried BSF larva\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDried BSF larvae from each drying method were subjected to a fat extraction process using Soxhlet method. After fat extraction (Defatting), proximate analysis was conducted for all the samples.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eChemical analysis\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBiochemical composition of dried and defatted BSFL were analyzed for moisture content, ash, crude fat, crude protein, crude fiber and carbohydrate using standardized AOAC methods at Pesticide Residue and Food Quality Analysis Laboratory (PRFQAL), Raichur. Moisture was quantified by using an oven by drying samples at 105\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;10℃ for 12 hours until constant weight. Ash content was determined as the residue remaining after incineration of samples at 550℃ in a muffle furnace for 5 to 6 hours. Crude fat content was measured by the ether\u0026ndash;extraction method in a soxhlet extraction unit. Crude protein was determined by the Kjeldahl method using an automatic system. The crude fiber was determined by muslin cloth method as the sample was subjected to acid digestion followed by alkali digestion and the remaining residue was weighed and burned in muffle furnace. Carbohydrate content was determined by subtracting the sum of the values (per 100g) for moisture, crude fat, crude protein, and total ash from 100 (AOAC, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR3\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cdiv id=\"Sec8\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e \u003ch2\u003eStatistical analysis\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe statistical analysis was performed by SPSS 22.0 (SPSS V.22 IBM). The data about different parameters were subjected to one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) by Completely Randomized Design, with four replications for the test of significance and calculation of critical significance. Means and standard errors were calculated for comparison purposes at a 1% level of significance. For comparing means between the treatments, the Tukey\u0026rsquo;s HSD (honestly significant differences) test was utilized. P\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01 was considered to indicate a significant difference between the valuses compared.\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Results and Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eDifferent drying techniques showed a notable difference in the moisture content of dried BSF larvae under both normal and defatted conditions. Compared to defatted larvae, typical dried larvae generally had a lower moisture content. Among the various drying techniques used, the drum roaster dry had the lowest moisture content (1.64\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.02% and 4.87\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.02% for normal and defatted larvae), while the microwave oven and solar tunnel dryer had the highest moisture content (4.15\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.06% of normal dried BSFL) and 6.79\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.08% of defatted BSFL), followed by sun drying (2.21\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.03% and 5.45\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.12% for both normal dried and defatted conditions, respectively). Additionally, we found that, under typical drying circumstances, the moisture content of BSFL from all drying procedures was lower than that of defatted conditions. The previous studies have reported the moisture content in normal dried BSF larvae with the range from 3.47\u0026ndash;11.97% (Gadzama et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e, Saputra \u003cem\u003eand Lee\u003c/em\u003e,2023) in defatted BSF larvae with the range from 6.02\u0026ndash;11.10% (Son et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e, Edah and Owolabi., 2023, Saputra and Lee, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eBoth under normal and defatted circumstances, the amount of ash in dried black soldier fly larvae from various drying techniques varied considerably. In comparison to the defatted state, which varied from 14.83 to 16.81 percent, the ash level was substantially lower in typical drying circumstances, ranging from 5.78 to 7.52%. Overall, the solar tunnel drier larvae had the highest ash content, averaging 7.80\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.06 percent and 16.81\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.31 percent, followed by the tray dryer with 7.49\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.24% and 16.44\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.17% under both normal dried and defatted condtions, respectively. Larvae of sun drying recorded the lowest ash content with 5.78\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.09% (Normal dried) and 14.83\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.09% (Defatted). The findings are in line with previous studies, recorded with an average of 7.83\u0026ndash;8.87% in different drying methods (Gadzama et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e. Son \u003cem\u003eet al\u003c/em\u003e .,2023) and Saputra and Lee, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e and Son et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e are reported with an average of 12.9\u0026ndash;22.00% of ash content in defatted BSF larva by different drying methods.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTables\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e and \u003cspan refid=\"Tab2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e also depicts the significant variation in crude fat content of all the dried and defatted samples by different drying methods (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01), respectively. The crude fat content observed in the current study was higher compared to previous studies. It was found that the highest crude fat content of BSF larvae resulting from the microwave oven method with an average of 54.98\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.46% compared to the lowest fat content in the drum roaster drying method with an average of 48.52\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.02% under normal dried conditions. There was a little variation observed among Tray dried (53.28\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.51), solar tunnel-dried (52.54\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.55), and sun-dried (52.96\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.32) larvae. This may be due to different drying conditions \u003cem\u003ei.e.\u003c/em\u003e, drying time and temperature, growing region. Previously, Kim et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e) observed 46.20% CP for BSF larvae when dried by using the hot air food drying method at 70℃ for 17 hours. The fat content in larvae may also vary with the feeding substrates. According to Chia et al (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e), where larvae fed with brewer\u0026rsquo;s yeast plus molasses yielded 49 per cent of crude fat content.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eProximate analysis of BSF larvae of different drying methods (Normal dried or without defatted)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"8\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c8\" colnum=\"8\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"6\" nameend=\"c8\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eProximate composition (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSl. No\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDrying methods\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMoisture\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAsh\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCrude fat\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCrude Protein\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCrude Fiber\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEnergy\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e01\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMicrowave oven\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.57\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.02\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.21\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.27\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e54.98\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.46\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e27.92\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.45\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14.02\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.53\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.29\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.13\u003csup\u003ee\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e02\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTray dryer\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.91\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.07\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.49\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.24\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e53.28\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.51\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e28.05\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.41\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e17.21\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.15\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8.26\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.03\u003csup\u003ed\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e03\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSolar tunnel dryer\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.15\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.06\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.80\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.06\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e52.54\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.55\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e26.48\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.36\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.05\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.17\u003csup\u003ed\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.01\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.08\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e04\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSun drying\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.21\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.03\u003csup\u003ed\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.78\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.09\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e52.96\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.32\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e27.27\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.85\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11.03\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.06\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e11.75\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.38\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e05\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDrum roaster dryer\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.64\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.02\u003csup\u003ee\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.52\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.08\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e48.52\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.02\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e32.72\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.74\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e13.68\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.17\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.58\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.19\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eS.Em \u0026plusmn;\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.05\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.17\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.62\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.6\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.27\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.2\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCD at 1%\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.19\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.72\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.57\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.49\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.12\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.84\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCV\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.22\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.95\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.36\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.19\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.28\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003ctfoot\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"8\"\u003eAll the results were calculated by dry mass. Data are expressed as mean\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;S.Em; Different super scripts within a column indicate significant differences across treatments by Tukey\u0026rsquo;s HSD Test at p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.0\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tfoot\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab2\" border=\"1\"\u003e \u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 2\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eProximate composition of BSF larvae of different drying methods (defatted)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/div\u003e \u003c/caption\u003e \u003ccolgroup cols=\"8\"\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c7\" colnum=\"7\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c8\" colnum=\"8\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003cthead\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colspan=\"6\" nameend=\"c8\" namest=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eProximate composition (%)\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSl. No\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDrying Methods\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMoisture\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eAsh\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCrude Fat\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCrude Protein\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eCrude Fiber\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eEnergy\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/th\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/thead\u003e \u003ctbody\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e01\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eMicrowave oven\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.79\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.08\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e15.22\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.59\u003csup\u003ebc\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.11\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.06\u003csup\u003ed\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e44.40\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.62\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e9.04\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.11\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e31.48\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.51\u003csup\u003eab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e02\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eTray dryer\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.14\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.2\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e16.44\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.17\u003csup\u003eab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.80\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.03\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e44.52\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.5\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e12.24\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.14\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e31.08\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.69\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e03\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSolar tunnel dryer\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.39\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.04\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e16.81\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.31\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.97\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.05\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e42.97\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.74\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e7.42\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.14\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e29.87\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.73\u003csup\u003ebc\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e04\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eSun drying\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e5.45\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.12\u003csup\u003ed\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e14.83\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.15\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.34\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.04\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e43.72\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.4\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e6.00\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.14\u003csup\u003ed\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e33.48\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.21\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e05\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003eDrum roaster dryer\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.87\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.02\u003csup\u003ee\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e16.54\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.13\u003csup\u003eab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.31\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.05\u003csup\u003ee\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e49.17\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.55\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e8.70\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.04\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e28.12\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.30\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eS.Em \u0026plusmn;\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.12\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.32\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.04\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.57\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.21\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.54\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCD at 1%\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.48\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e1.34\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.19\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.4\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e0.88\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.24\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003ctr\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eCV\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.76\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.02\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.23\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e2.56\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c7\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e4.85\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c8\"\u003e \u003cp\u003e3.50\u003c/p\u003e \u003c/td\u003e \u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tbody\u003e \u003c/colgroup\u003e \u003ctfoot\u003e \u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd colspan=\"8\"\u003eAll the results were calculated by dry mass. Data are expressed as mean\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;S.Em; Different super scripts within a column indicate significant differences across treatments by Tukey\u0026rsquo;s HSD Test at p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01.\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e \u003c/tfoot\u003e \u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e \u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eNormal dried BSF larvae from different drying methods were defatted to enrich the protein content for quality animal feed. After defatting, around 97% of the fat was extracted from each normal dried BSF larvae of different drying methods. The crude fat content varied significantly ranging from 1.31 to 2.97% in different drying methods under defatted conditions. The highest fat content was recorded in the solar tunnel dryer with an average of 2.97\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.05%followed by the sun drying method with a mean of 2.34\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.04%. The lowest fat content was yielded in the drum roaster dryer method with an average of 1.31\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.05%. The findings of the current study were in agreement with the previous studies by Monisha and Loganathan (2021), where they recorded 1.18 and 3.61% of crude fat content in defatted BSF larvae dried by freeze-drying and sun-drying methods, respectively.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe crude protein content of BSF larvae varied significantly from different drying methods under both normal dried and defatted conditions. In general, the drum roaster drying method resulted highest crude protein content with an average of 32.72\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.74% and 49.17\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.55%followed by the tray dryer with an average of 28.05\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.41% and 44.52\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.50% under both normal and defatted conditions, respectively. In the current study, crude protein content is lower compared to previous studies and also there is little variation was recorded in larvae of Microwave oven (27.92\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.45% and 44.40\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.62%), Solar tunnel dryer(26.48\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.36% and 42.97\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.74%) and Sun drying (27.27\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.85% and 43.72\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.40%)under both normal and defatted conditions, respectively. It might be due to the different feeding substrate, feeding rate, and higher drying temperature as it leads to the denaturation of proteins. The findings of the current are in agreement with the previous studies conducted by Namira et al, (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e), where drying the larvae at 72℃ for 12 hours resulted in a crude protein content of 25.26%.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHowever, after defatting the crude protein content was enriched with an average of 64% in each defatted BSF larvae by different drying methods. In the same condition crude protein content increased to a higher level may be due to the reduced effect of crude fat dilution. The findings are in agreement with the previous studies by Edah and Owolabi, (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e), where oven-dried, defatted BSF larvae were observed at 51.83 per cent of crude protein content.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eA significant variation was recorded in crude fiber content BSF larvae by different drying methods under both normal and defatted conditions (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01). The tray dryer yielded the highest crude fiber content with an average of 17.21\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.15% and 12.24\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.14%, followed by the Microwave oven with 14.02\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.53% and 9.04\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.11% under both normal and dried conditions respectively. The lowest crude fiber content was recorded in larvae of solar tunnel drying with 7.05\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.17% (Normal dried) and Sun drying with 6.00\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.14%( Defatted). The crude fiber content varied with different diets, processing, and drying methods. The findings are supported by the previous studies by Edah and Owolabi (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e), Gadzama et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e), and Saputra \u003cem\u003eand Lee.\u003c/em\u003e (2023).\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eLarvae of black soldier flies offer an alternate source of protein. They are more prone to deterioration, rotting, and spoiling because of their greater moisture content. When compared to alternative drying techniques, the BSF larvae dried using a drum roaster drier under both regular dried and defatted conditions produced the highest crude protein content (32.72 and 49.17 percent, respectively), without compromising the nutritional value of BSFL meant for animal feed.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDeclaration\u003c/strong\u003e \u003cstrong\u003eof Competing interest\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe manuscript entitled \u0026ldquo;Maximizing the protein and fat recovery in black soldier fly larvae : a comparative study of drying methods by Aishwarya Bellanki, Pradeep Shivanand, Prabhuraj Aralimarad, Sharanabasappa S Deshmukh, Sridhara Sankrappa, Mavinakoppa S Nagaraja declared that the work described has not been published previously, that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, that its publication is approved by all authors and tacitly or explicitly by the responsible authorities where the work was carried out, and that, if accepted, it will not be published elsewhere in the same form, in English or in any other language, including electronically without the written consent of the copyright-holder.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcknowledgement\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI Acknowledge \u0026nbsp;Pesticide Residue and Food Quality Analysis Laboratory Raichur, Food Processing and Engineering department (FPE) for providing all the facilities. I also thank all the staff members for their continuous support.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAchanta S, Okos M R (2000) Drying technology in agriculture and food science, quality changes during drying of food polymers. Boca Raton (USA): Science Publisher Inc.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAmrul N F, Kabir Ahmad I, Ahmad Basri N E, Suja F, Abdul Jalil N A, Azman N A (2022) A review of organic waste treatment using black soldier fly (\u003cem\u003eHermetia illucens\u003c/em\u003e). \u003cem\u003eSustainability\u003c/em\u003e 14(8):4565.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAOAC (2022), Official Methods of Analysis of AOAC International. Food Composition, Additives, Natural Contaminants. 16th Edition AOAC International Gaithersburg MD USA 35-47.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBoakye-Yiadom K A, Ilari A, Duca D (2022) Greenhouse gas emissions and life cycle assessment on the black soldier fly (\u003cem\u003eHermetia illucens\u003c/em\u003e L.). \u003cem\u003eSustainability\u003c/em\u003e 14(16): 10456.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eChia S Y, Tanga C M, Osuga I M, Cheseto X, Ekesi S, Dicke M, Van loon J J (2020) Nutritional composition of black soldier fly larvae feeding on agro‐industrial by‐products. \u003cem\u003eEntomolog Experimentalis et Applicata\u003c/em\u003e 168(6-7):472-481.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEdah B, Owolabi O D (2023) Physical properties of defatted and extruded black soldier fly (\u003cem\u003eHermetia illucens\u003c/em\u003e) larvae-based aqua-feed using a twin-screw extruder. \u003cem\u003eDiscov food\u003c/em\u003e 3(1):14.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGadzama I U, Malcolm J, Malcolm C (2023) Impact of drying methods of black soldier fly larvae as animal feed - Turning waste into value. Paper presented in \u003cem\u003eAustralia (RAAN-A) Conference on Recent Advances in Animal Nutrition, \u003c/em\u003eGold Coast, Queensland, Australia, 26-28 Jul, 2023, 29-30 \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKatayane A F, Wolayan F R, Imbar M R (2014) Produksi dan kandungan protein maggot (\u003cem\u003eHermetia illucens\u003c/em\u003e) dengan menggunakan media tumuh berbeda. \u003cem\u003eJournal Zootek\u003c/em\u003e 34:27-36.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKim C H, Ryu J, Lee J, Ko K, Lee J Y, Park K Y, Chung H (2021) Use of black soldier fly larvae for food waste treatment and energy production in Asian countries: a review. \u003cem\u003eProcesses\u003c/em\u003e 9(1):161. \u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKim J, Kurniawan H, Faqeerzada M A, Kim G, Lee H, Kim M S, Baek I, Cho B K (2023) Proximate content monitoring of black soldier fly larval (\u003cem\u003eHermetia illucens\u003c/em\u003e) dry matter for feed material using short-wave infrared hyperspectral imaging. \u003cem\u003eFood Sci Anim Resour\u003c/em\u003e43(6):1150.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKurniawan D, Widodo E, Susilo A, Sjofjan O (2024) Synthesis of selenium conjugated insects\u0026rsquo; protein in Hermetia illucens larvae as poultry feed. In \u003cem\u003eBIO Web of Conferences\u003c/em\u003e 88, 00004 EDP Sciences.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLiland N S, Biancarosa I, Araujo P, Biemans D, Bruckner C G, Waagb\u0026oslash; R, Lock E J (2017) Modulation of nutrient composition of black soldier fly (\u003cem\u003eHermetia illucens\u003c/em\u003e) larvae by feeding seaweed-enriched media. \u003cem\u003ePloS One\u003c/em\u003e 12(8):e0183188.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eMonisha C, Loganathan M (2022) Impact of drying methods on the physicochemical properties and nutritional composition of defatted black soldier fly (\u003cem\u003eHermetia illucens\u003c/em\u003e) pre‐pupae flour. \u003cem\u003eJ Food Process Preserv\u003c/em\u003e 46(1):e16184.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNamira A A, Mulyadi A F, Subekti I F, Hidayat N (2024) Optimization of Temperature and Drying Time of Protein and Fat Levels of Black Soldier Fly (\u003cem\u003eHermetia illucens\u003c/em\u003e) Larvae. \u003cem\u003eJ Agric Sci\u003c/em\u003e1(4):194-207.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePang W, Hou D, Chen J, Nowar E E, Li Z, Hu R, Tomberlin J K, Yu Z, Li Q, Wang S (2020) Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and enhancing carbon and nitrogen conversion in food wastes by the black soldier fly. \u003cem\u003eJ environ manage\u003c/em\u003e 260:110066.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePurnamasari L, Widyaningrum D C, Muhlison W, Krismaputri M E, Sucipto I, Pratiwi N (2021) November Amino acid profile and proximate composition of black soldier fly larvae (\u003cem\u003eHermetia illucens\u003c/em\u003e) with two drying methods. In \u003cem\u003eInternational Seminar on Livestock Production and Veterinary Technology\u003c/em\u003e (48).\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSaputra I, Lee Y N, (2023) Nutrition composition of commercial full-fat and defatted black soldier fly larvae meal (\u003cem\u003eHermetia illucens\u003c/em\u003e) as a potential protein resource for aquafeeds. \u003cem\u003eBiodiversitas \u003c/em\u003e24(9).\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSiddiqui S A, Ristow B, Rahayu T, Putra N S, Yuwono N W, Mategeko B, Smetana S, Saki M, Nawaz A, Nagdalian A (2022) Black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) and their affinity for organic waste processing. \u003cem\u003eWaste Manag\u003c/em\u003e 140:1-13.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSon J, Park S H, Jung H J, You S J, Kim B G (2023) Effects of Drying Methods and Blanching on Nutrient Utilization in Black Soldier Fly Larva Meals Based on In Vitro Assays for Pigs. \u003cem\u003eAnimals \u003c/em\u003e13(5):858.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eVan huis A (2013) Potential of insects as food and feed in assuring food security. \u003cem\u003eAnnu Rev Entomol\u003c/em\u003e 58:563-583.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"international-journal-of-tropical-insect-science","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"jtis","sideBox":"Learn more about [International Journal of Tropical Insect Science](http://link.springer.com/journal/42690)","snPcode":"42690","submissionUrl":"https://www.editorialmanager.com/jtis/default2.aspx","title":"International Journal of Tropical Insect Science","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"Hermetia illucens, Drum roaster, Defatted, Proximate composition","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-5725821/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-5725821/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThe black soldier flies (BSF, \u003cem\u003eHermetia illucens\u003c/em\u003e) have become a novel and sustainable source of micronutrients, lipids, protein, and chitin. Because they are voracious eaters, larvae turn a variety of organic waste into useful resources like protein feed for fish, pigs, and chickens. Larvae of black soldier flies can be composted in addition to being used as animal feed. The purpose of this study was to compare several drying techniques for black soldier fly larvae in order to provide high-quality results. A microwave oven, solar tunnel dryer, tray drier, sun drying, and drum roasting were the five methods used to dry the adult larvae. Different time and temperature interactions are used in each method. According to the results, the drum roasting method recovered more crude protein and crude fat (32.72 and 48.52%, respectively). Following fat extraction, the maximum amount of fat was removed, increasing the crude protein level to 49.17%. Given that the crude protein recovery was lower under both normal and defatted conditions (26.48\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.36% and 42.97\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.74%); the solar tunnel drying method was the least popular of all the drying techniques. Thus, without compromising the nutritional value of BSFL meant for use as animal feed, our study indicates that the drum roasting process is superior to conventional drying techniques.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Maximizing the protein and fat recovery in black soldier fly larvae: a comparative study of drying methods","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-01-20 06:06:51","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-5725821/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"","date":"2025-01-18T05:34:59+00:00","index":0,"fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2025-01-17T16:57:16+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvited","content":"International Journal of Tropical Insect Science","date":"2025-01-09T17:18:06+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2025-01-06T15:12:56+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"International Journal of Tropical Insect Science","date":"2025-01-02T23:58:01+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"international-journal-of-tropical-insect-science","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"jtis","sideBox":"Learn more about [International Journal of Tropical Insect Science](http://link.springer.com/journal/42690)","snPcode":"42690","submissionUrl":"https://www.editorialmanager.com/jtis/default2.aspx","title":"International Journal of Tropical Insect Science","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"Springer Hybrid","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"ddbf75fb-7632-4df1-b8d8-91cedf505a06","owner":[],"postedDate":"January 20th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"under-review","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-01-20T06:06:52+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-01-20 06:06:51","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-5725821","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-5725821","identity":"rs-5725821","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}