Standardization of harvesting stage of black soldier fly Hermetia illucens (L.) (Diptera : Stratiomyidae) larvae for maximizing the productivity

Standardization of harvesting stage of black soldier fly Hermetia illucens (L.) 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(Diptera : Stratiomyidae) larvae for maximizing the productivity Aishwarya Bellanki, Pradeep Shivanad, Prabhuraj Aralimarad, Sharanabasappa S Deshmukh, and 2 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal.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-7495920/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The scientific name for the black soldier fly (BSF), Hermetia illucens , is drawing interest as a viable way to deal with some of the problems brought on by an expanding world population. By standardizing the harvesting stage process, the current study aimed to produce high-quality black soldier fly larvae. At 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, and 13 days after rearing, larvae that are 5 days old are fed kitchen garbage based on when they are harvested. Crude fat content increased quickly during the larvae's development from 5 to 18 days, peaking at 59.06% at a year old. Although the crude fat content of larvae aged 14, 16, and 18 days did not differ significantly, the crude protein content of larvae at 16 days was higher at 27.80%. In order to maximize the number of larvae produced, it was determined that the ideal time to harvest them was when they were 16 days old. Biological sciences/Biological techniques Biological sciences/Ecology Earth and environmental sciences/Ecology Biological sciences/Zoology Morphometrics Biochemical composition Larval development Hermetia illucens Introduction Food produced, processed, and consumed in a way that is socially conscious, environmentally benign, and financially feasible is referred to as sustainable food. There are already over 8 billion people on the planet, and as the number rises, maintaining food security will become more and more difficult (Bahar et al., 2020 ). Particularly in areas with uneven food supply and quality, dietary supplements can be very helpful in correcting nutritional deficiencies and improving general health. In order to guarantee a sustainable, just, and healthy future for everybody, cooperation across sectors is necessary to address the urgent problem of the interaction between population and food (Fanzo et al., 2022 ). A multidimensional strategy, including the efficient use of food supplements, will be needed to address the intricate link between population increase and food security. The black soldier fly (BSF), scientifically known as Hermetia illucens , is becoming more and more recognized as a viable way to deal with some of the problems brought on by the world's expanding population. Larvae of black soldier flies are voracious eaters that may ingest a variety of organic items, such as manure, food scraps, and agricultural waste (Holmes et al. 2016 ). Five stages make up the life cycle of a black soldier fly: egg, larva, pre-pupa, pupa, and adult. According to Sharanabasappa et al. ( 2019 ), the incubation, total larval, and pupal periods were found to be 5–7, 25–30, and 10–60 days, respectively. Due to its short lifespan and preference for outdoor habitat, the black soldier fly is not considered a pest (Tomberlin et al., 2002 ). Their capacity to effectively decompose organic matter makes them a popular choice for waste management and composting. Furthermore, their protein-rich larvae can be utilized for a variety of sustainable purposes, including the production of biofuels, or as animal feed. One of the elements that affects the livestock industry's profitability is the availability of high-quality animal feed; also, feed accounts for 50–70% of maintenance expenses. Crude protein concentration and the necessary amino acid composition of dry feed ingredients are two indicators of animal feed quality. Because of its simple manufacturing method, quick growth rate, and around 40% protein content, black soldier flies can be utilized as feed. (Liland et al., 2017 ). BSF larvae lower the amount of waste materials by eating organic garbage, and they also convert the trash into nutrient-rich biomass that may be recovered and turned into a useful resource. Methane, a greenhouse gas created during the anaerobic breakdown of organic waste in landfills, can be decreased by BSF larvae. In order to optimize the recovery of black soldier fly protein and fat, the current study was conducted to standardize the harvesting stage. The majority of earlier studies on BSF have concentrated on the characteristics of immature and adult life, fundamental biological developmental features, raising methods, the process of treating plant and animal waste, and the use of BSF in fish and animal feed (Zhou et al., 2013 , Myers et al., 2014 , Manurang et al., 2016).To determine their harvesting stage, black soldier fly larvae are raised solely on kitchen waste in this study. Material and methods Experimental set up Day-old maggots were raised on kitchen trash from cooked hostel meals for up to five days after their eggs hatched. Larvae that were five days old and fed kitchen scraps were used in the experiment. Manually separated 5-day larvae were raised in plastic boxes of 40 x 25 x 15 cm (Length x Width x Height) at a density of 2 heads/cm2 (2000 heads/box). Every box was placed in a room that had a temperature between 25 and 2 degrees Celsius and a relative humidity of 60 to 5 percent. Every day, BSFL was given kitchen scraps, and during the trial, the amount of feed was changed to guarantee enough supply. Water was provided daily for feeding in order to keep the substrate's humidity at 70%. Feeding stages dynamic sampling After being fed kitchen scraps for five days, the larvae were sampled from each replicate at three, five, seven, nine, eleven, and thirteen days after raising. After being cleaned, the larval samples were dried for 48 hours at 60°C in a hot air oven until their weight remained consistent. The moisture content, ash, crude protein, crude fiber, crude fat, and carbohydrates (Energy) of the dried larval samples were examined to determine their biochemical makeup. Larval weight and Morphometric measurements of different ages The weight of the larvae was recorded at days 0, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, and 13 of the experiment. The process was carried out three times, with 100 larvae per replication being chosen at random and weighed. Leica Microsystems' application (Version ES2) was used to measure the morphometric measurements (length and breadth) of BSF larvae at various harvesting stages. Before being examined (length and width) under a Leica microscope, insect specimens were killed with diluted ethyl acetate. BSF larvae that were 5, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, and 18 days old were measured. Protein Efficient Ratio (PER) Kitchen scraps were used to feed each treatment. By dividing the protein intake by the larval weight increase, the protein-efficient ratio of the larvae was determined. Larval weight gain (mg) = Final weight (mg) – Initial weight (mg) Protein Efficient Ratio (PER) = \(\:\frac{Larval\:weight\:gain\:\left(mg\right)}{Protein\:intake\:\left(mg\right)}\) Chemical Analysis Using conventional AOAC techniques, the biochemical composition of Black soldier fly larvae of various ages was examined for moisture content, ash, crude fat, crude protein, crude fiber, and carbohydrates. Moisture content Samples were dried in an oven at 105 ± 10 for 12°C until they reached a consistent weight before analysis. The lid and the empty dish were measured exactly. The material was measured at 5 ± 1 g in an appropriate moisture dish after being individually ground with a mortar and pestle. Together with the sample and lid, the dry dish's weight was recorded. The sample was cooled in desiccators, dried in a hot air oven at 105 ± 10°C for 12 hours, and then weighed again with a lid. Heating, cooling, and weighing every 30 minutes until the weight loss between two subsequent weightings is less than 1 milligram. Moisture (per cent by weight) = \(\:\frac{W1-W2}{W1-W}\) x 100 W 1 = Weight of dry dish along with lid and sample W 2 = Weight dish along with material and lid after drying W = Weight of empty dry dish along with lid Ash content The AOAC (2022) method was used to determine the amount of ash. In order to produce gray ash, a 5 g sample was placed in a dry and clean porcelain dish and ignited in a muffle furnace for 6 hours at 550 to 600°C. Ash (per cent by weight) = \(\:\frac{W2-W}{W1-W}\) x 100 W = Weight of empty clean dried porcelain dish W 1 = Weight of the sample + dry porcelain dish W 2 = Weight of the dish + ash Crude fat content The ether-extraction method was used in a soxhlet extraction device (AOAC 2022) to assess the crude fat content. By placing 2g of the powdered sample (S) in a thimble inside a glass beaker and weighing it (T), the crude protein was calculated. In order to extract fat, petroleum ether was put into the glass beaker to cover the test part. Following extraction, the residue in a glass beaker was cooled in a desiccator, dried in a hot air oven for 30 minutes at 102 ± 2℃, and weighed. Fat (%) = \(\:\frac{(F-T)}{S}\) x 100 F = weight of glass beaker with residue after extraction T = weight of the empty glass beaker S = Sample weight Crude protein content By measuring the total nitrogen using the Kjeldahl method and multiplying the nitrogen percentage by 6.25, the total crude protein content was calculated. Total nitrogen (g/100 g sample) = (a-b) ×Normality × 14 x100/g of sample ×1000 a = ml of standard acid for sample b = ml of standard acid for blank Crude fiber content After the sample was digested with acid and then alkali, the leftover residue was weighed and oven-dried for two hours at 130°C to determine the crude fiber using the muslin cloth method. The sample was cooled in a desiccator before being ignited in a muffle furnace. Crude fiber = \(\:\frac{\:(\text{C}\text{r}\text{u}\text{c}\text{i}\text{b}\text{l}\text{e}\:\text{w}\text{e}\text{i}\text{g}\text{h}\text{t}\:\text{b}\text{e}\text{f}\text{o}\text{r}\text{e}\:\text{a}\text{s}\text{h}\:-\:\text{C}\text{r}\text{u}\text{c}\text{i}\text{b}\text{l}\text{e}\:\text{w}\text{e}\text{i}\text{g}\text{h}\text{t}\:\text{a}\text{f}\text{t}\text{e}\text{r}\:\text{a}\text{s}\text{h})}{\text{C}\text{r}\text{u}\text{c}\text{i}\text{b}\text{l}\text{e}\:\text{w}\text{e}\text{i}\text{g}\text{h}\text{t}\:}\) Carbohydrate content By subtracting the total of the moisture, crude fat, crude protein, and total ash values (per 100g) from 100, the carbohydrate content was calculated by difference. (AOAC, 1999). Statistical analysis The information regarding various parameters was analyzed using a completely randomized design, with four replications for the significance test and critical significance computation. For comparison, means and standard errors were computed at a significance level of 1%. The Tukey's HSD test was used to compare the means of the various treatments. Results Larval weight Black soldier fly larvae's final larval weight varied greatly depending on their age. There was no discernible variation in the weight of the larvae at five and eight days (p < 0.01) (Table 2). At 306.66 ± 3.79 mg/larva, the 18-day-old larva (D13) had the highest recorded larval weight, followed by a 16-day-old larva at 255.23 ± 2.45 mg/larva (p < 0.01). Five-day-old larvae had the lowest larval weight (2.13 ± 0.43 mg/larva; p < 0.01), while eight-day-old (D3), ten-day (D5), twelve-day (D7), and fourteen-day (D9) larvae had the highest larval weights (9.90 mg, 45.46 mg, 141.66 mg, and 221.33 mg, respectively). Morphometrics of different aged larvae Significant differences were found in larval length throughout all larval ages. As the larval growth time increased, so did the larval length. The larvae that were five days old had the lowest length, ranging from 5.41 to 7.21 mm with a mean of 6.20 ± 0.15 mm (p < 0.01). The larvae that were eighteen days old had the longest length, 25.35 ± 0.32 mm (p < 0.01), with a range of 23.86 to 28.05 mm. Similar to the difference in length, the larval breadth of a five-day-old and an eighteen-day-old differs significantly (p < 0.01). The mean width of a five-day-old larva was 1.20 ± 0.05 mm (p < 0.01), with a range of 1 to 1.6 mm. Additionally, at 18 days of larval development, it rose to 5.50 ± 0.06 mm (p < 0.01), with a range of 4.60 to 6.39 mm. Protein Efficient Ratio (PER) Significant variations in larval weight increase were seen across all larval ages for the protein efficient ratio (PER). Larval weight gain was progressively increased until the larvae were 12 days old, when the mean was 95.96 ± 1.99 mg/larva (p < 0.01), and then at 14 days old, when it was 80.33 ± 0.88 mg/larva (p < 0.01). The protein efficient ratio showed a substantial change in a 12-day-old (D7) due to an increase in larval weight gain, with a maximum value of 4.65 ± 0.10, followed by a 14-day-old larva with 4.06 ± 0.04. Five-day-old larvae had the lowest PER, at 0.04 ± 0.01 (p < 0.01). Proximate composition of black soldier fly larvae of different harvesting times For the protein efficient ratio (PER), notable differences in the growth in larval weight were seen at all larval ages. Before reaching a mean of 95.96 ± 1.99 mg/larva (p < 0.01) at 12 days and 80.33 ± 0.88 mg/larva (p < 0.01) at 14 days, the larvae's weight gain was gradually enhanced. Due to an increase in larval weight gain, the protein efficient ratio significantly changed in a 12-day-old (D7), reaching a maximum value of 4.65 ± 0.10, followed by a 14-day-old larva with 4.06 ± 0.04. At 0.04 ± 0.01 (p < 0.01), the larvae that were five days old had the lowest PER. Between the various larval ages, the crude protein level changed considerably, ranging from 24.0 to 28.75 percent. Black soldier fly larvae at 14 days old had a crude protein content of 24.36 ± 0.82 percent (p < 0.01), indicating another rise in crude protein content. This was followed by a progressive increase and stabilization at 16 and 18 days old, when the larvae had 27.80 ± 0.61% and 25.35 ± 0.64%, respectively. On the other hand, the crude protein content of larvae that are 10 days old (26.98 ± 0.46%) and those that are 18 days old (25.35 ± 0.64%) is comparable. Black soldier fly larvae's crude fiber content increased considerably as their age grew (p < 0.01). Discussion A major worldwide problem is the growing population, which is causing food scarcity. Without certain, by 2050, there will be 9.7 billion people on the planet. There are currently 820 million hungry people (Tripathi et al., 2019). Black soldier flies have become a sustainable food supply because 2 billion people lack access to safe, nourishing food, which helps them avoid the negative effects of food shortages, such as starvation, malnutrition, environmental damage, and unstable economies. Large-scale BSFL rearing has the potential to replace traditional animal feed sources with a sustainable and healthful food and feed source (Raman et al., 2022; Shumo et al., 2019). Furthermore, according to Rumpold and Schlüter (2013), BSFL are a repository of proteins, fatty acids, minerals, and a significant quantity of carbs. In order to enhance the production of the various ages of larvae, this study examined their nutritional composition. With varying feeding substrates, black soldier fly larvae went through different harvesting phases. According to this study, when harvesting or growth time increased, so did the larval weight, length, and breadth. Similar findings were made in the earlier study by Added et al. (2021), which found that larvae raised on butchery and vegetable waste increased in weight, length, and breadth from 5 to 17 days. The results of the current investigation were larger than those of this study, which may be because of the different strain, growing region, feeding substrates, and weather parameters. Cain et al. (2022) reported that the adult male and female body lengths ranged from 13.0- 17.0 mm and 13.8-18.0 mm, respectively. The protein quality and utilization efficiency of black soldier fly larvae are measured by their protein efficient ratio. PER was found in black soldier fly larvae for kitchen garbage in this study, however, and it was highest in 12-day-old larvae (D7) at 4.65 compared to other harvesting times. The current investigation's black soldier fly larva PER is higher than that of Cheng et al.'s 2023 study, which found that the larvae's PERs for soybean meal (SBM) and fishmeal (FM) were 2.38 and 2.34, respectively. The increased larval weight and feeding substrate may have contributed to the 12 day old larva's PER of 1.38 when raised on fresh tofu feed, according to Pham et al. (2022). Throughout the several stages of BSF larvae, there is a discernible trend of variation in the moisture, crude fat, and crude protein concentrations. Increased dry matter accumulation, water loss through transpiration and excretion, and an increase in metabolic activities could all be to blame. Crude fat content rises quickly during stages 5 and 18 of larval development, peaking at 59.06% of dry mass. The earlier research by Liu et al. (2017), Wong et al. (2019), and Pham et al. (2022) all showed the similar pattern. Compared to earlier research, a greater crude fat content was found in all BSFL growth or harvesting stages in this study. The nutritional makeup of feeding substrates could be the cause. Applying various feed substrates increased the amount of crude fat in BSF larvae, a finding corroborated by Ewald et al. (2020), who found that BSF fed bread and food waste produced crude fat contents of 57.80% and 40.70%, respectively. The crude protein content of BSF larvae at various harvesting stages varied significantly. The results are consistent with earlier research by Ewald et al. (2020), which found that when raised on food waste, the crude protein content was 27.90±0.2%. Nonetheless, disparate results regarding the protein composition of BSF were noted by Liu et al. (2017), Wong et al. (2019), and Pham et al. (2022). The BSF fed on various feeding surfaces and feeding rates may be the cause of this (Diener et al., 2009). Contrary to the fluctuations in moisture, crude protein, and crude fat content at various harvesting stages, the ash level stayed constant between the ages of 5 and 18 days, ranging from 3.02 to 3.92 percent. This could be caused by the stage of development and the makeup of the diet. Higher chitin and other structural polysaccharide accumulation or improved digestive enzyme activity may be the cause of the larvae's higher crude fiber content as they grow and develop (Liu et al., 2017). The results of this investigation are comparable to those of the earlier work by Pham et al. (2022), in which larvae aged 5 to 14 days had fiber contents ranging from 7.04 to 10.98%. Among the most important nutrients for BSF larvae, carbohydrates assist balance their diet and give them adequate energy for growth and survival. Dietary sources may be the cause of the variations in carbohydrate content during life stages. The results are consistent with the earlier research conducted by Cohn et al. (2022). Depending on whether it is used for pet food, aqua feed, or chicken feed, the nutrient quality of the BSFL generated changes according to the product's uses and, consequently, the needs of the final user. The nutritional value of the BSFL produced can be maintained by standardizing the substrate that is fed to the animals. However, the final quality of the BSFL is impacted by substrate from different waste streams. Despite using identical substrates, the dietary pattern of proteins is influenced by things like the amount of fatty acids, lipids, and chitin in their bodies. This prevents BSFL from being produced as the main source of protein for animal feed (Mohan et al., 2022). Declarations Contribution The facilities provided by the Food Processing and Engineering department (FPE)'s Pesticide Residue and Food Quality Analysis Laboratory Raichur are greatly appreciated. I also want to thank all of the employees for their unwavering support. Funding We thank the Organic Farming Research Centre (OFRC), Keladi Shivappa Nayaka University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Shimoga, for providing research funding for this work. Author Contribution Aishwarya Bellanki : Writing original draft, Visualization, Validation, Methodology, Investigation, Formal analysis, Data curation.Pradeep Shivanand : Writing review and editing, Visualization, Resources and Supervision.Prabhuraj Aralimarad : Writing review and editing, Visualization, Resources, Supervision, Validation, Investigation, and Conceptualization.Sharanabasappa S Deshmukh : Writing review and editing, Visualization, Validation, Formal analysis and Data curation.Sridhara Shankrappa : Writing review and editing, Visualization, Resources, Supervision.Mavinakoppa S Nagaraja : Writing review and editing, Visualization, Resources, Supervision. Acknowledgement The authors are indebted to the Department of A gricultural Entomology, University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Shimoga, Karnataka, and the Pesticide Residue and Food Quality Analysis Laboratory (PRFQAL), University of Agricultural Sciences Raichur, for all kinds of support. 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S., Uemura, Y., Ho Yc, Leejeerajumnean, A., Kiatkattipong, W., Cheng, C. K., Lam, M. K., Lim, J, W., 2019, Potential protein and biodiesel sources from black soldier fly larvae: Insights of larval harvesting instar and fermented feeding medium. Energies. , 12 (8): 1570. Zhou, F., Tomberlin, J.K., Zheng, L., Yu, Z. and Zhang, J., 2013. Developmental and waste reduction plasticity of three black soldier fly strains (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) raised on different livestock manures. J. medical. entomol. , 50(6):1224-1230. Tables Table I. Larval weight and morphometric measurements of different harvesting stages of BSF larvae reared on kitchen waste Sl. No. Harvesting stages Length (mm) Breadth (mm) Larval weight(mg/larva) ( Mean±SD) Range Mean±SD Range Mean±SD 01 5 days old 2.13±0.43 f 5.41-7.21 6.20±0.15 g 1 -1.6 1.20±0.05 g 02 8 days old 9.90±1.21 f 8.05-9.95 9.05±0.16 f 1.79-2.90 2.23±0.12 f 03 10 days old 45.46±2.74 e 12.10-17.50 14.65±0.59 e 2.15-3.82 3.26±0.08 e 04 12 days old 141.66±3.61 d 20.06-24.58 22.86±0.40 d 3.24-4.75 4.00±0.14 d 05 14 days old 221.33±6.84 c 22.12-26.58 24.35±0.47 c 3.95-5.25 4.73±0.13 c 06 16 days old 255.23±2.45 b 23.18-26.95 24.86±0.96 b 4.20-6.11 5.16±0.1 b 07 18 days old 306.66±3.79 a 23.86-28.05 25.35±0.32 a 4.60-6.39 5.50±0.06 a S.Em ± 3.61 - 0.51 - 0.10 CD at 1% 15.08 - 2.14 - 0.43 CV 4.41 - 4.76 - 4.75 Note: Different letters within a column indicate significant differences across treatments by Tukey’s HSD test at p < 0.01, N = 100 (larval weight), N = 10 (morphometric measurements), Values in the parenthesis indicates the range Table II. Protein Efficient Ratio of BSF larvae of different harvesting stages reared on kitchen waste Sl. No. Harvesting stages Larval weight gain(mg/larva) Protein Intake (mg/larva) Protein Efficient Ratio 01 5 days old 0.99±0.17 g 19.96±0.61 ab 0.04±0.01 f 02 8 days old 7.80±0.55 f 16.16±0.44 c 0.47±0.08 e 03 10 days old 35.56±1.41 d 20.16±0.38 ab 1.76±0.01 d 04 12 days old 95.96±1.99 a 20.70±1.01 a 4.65±0.1 a 05 14 days old 80.33±0.88 b 19.73±0.12 ab 4.06±0.04 b 06 16 days old 33.40±1.78 e 20.23±0.54 ab 1.67±0.08 d 07 18 days old 51.13±0.49 c 17.80±1.49 bc 2.87±0.02 c S.Em ± 1.01 0.54 0.06 CD at 1% 4.07 2.26 0.24 CV 3.85 4.80 4.47 Note : Different letters within a column indicate significant differences across treatments by Tukey’s HSD test at p<0.01 Table III: Proximate composition of different harvesting stages of BSF larvae when reared on kitchen waste Proximate Composition (%) Sl. No. Harvesting stages Moisture Ash Crude Fat Crude protien Crude fiber Energy 01 5 day old 3.48±0.07 a 3.48±0.03 b 33.38±0.79 e 28.75±0.58 a 5.94±0.22 e 30.88±0.59 a 02 8 day old 2.73±0.07 b 3.94±0.02 a 43.22±0.46 d 28.51±0.74 a 9.16±0.09 d 21.58±0.23 b 03 10 day old 2.76±0.07 b 3.92±0.02 a 47.56±0.23 c 26.98±0.46 ab 9.37±0.23 d 18.78±0.42 c 04 12 day old 2.24±0.07 c 3.29±0.18 bc 51.24±0.78 b 24±1.15 b 10.20±0.20 cd 19.2±0.36 c 05 14 day old 1.77±0.05 d 3.02±0.1 c 55.95±0.37 a 24.36±0.82 b 11.02±0.31 bc 14.89±0.19 d 06 16 day old 1.68±0.06 d 3.13±0.13 bc 56.77±1.53 a 27.80±0.61 a 12.66 ± 0.35 a 10.61±0.31 e 07 18 day old 1.32±0.06 e 3.25±0.01 bc 59.06±1.13 a 25.35±0.64 ab 12.05±0.26 ab 11.02±0.46 e S.Em ± 0.06 0.09 0.87 0.74 0.25 0.39 CD at 1% 0.27 0.39 3.64 3.13 1.05 1.64 CV 4.85 4.66 3.02 4.85 4.55 3.71 Note : Different letters within a column indicate significant differences across treatments by Tukey’s HSD test at p < 0.01 Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. 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Bellanki","email":"data:image/png;base64,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","orcid":"","institution":"University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Aishwarya","middleName":"","lastName":"Bellanki","suffix":""},{"id":519400267,"identity":"1ff3557a-d99a-48fc-b8c6-dfa0326c0876","order_by":1,"name":"Pradeep Shivanad","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Pradeep","middleName":"","lastName":"Shivanad","suffix":""},{"id":519400268,"identity":"997eebc9-997c-43f8-80fc-01f75fcc38f0","order_by":2,"name":"Prabhuraj Aralimarad","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Agricultural Sciences Raichur","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Prabhuraj","middleName":"","lastName":"Aralimarad","suffix":""},{"id":519400269,"identity":"f3f042b8-8d01-4d75-b612-eb4c2c0b782f","order_by":3,"name":"Sharanabasappa S Deshmukh","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Sharanabasappa","middleName":"S","lastName":"Deshmukh","suffix":""},{"id":519400270,"identity":"9ee00d80-aaf0-40c1-aeea-610f94be0637","order_by":4,"name":"Sridhara Shankrappa","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Sridhara","middleName":"","lastName":"Shankrappa","suffix":""},{"id":519400271,"identity":"9820beda-2f89-4a8e-9df2-37afe1ae25e7","order_by":5,"name":"Mavinakoppa S Nagaraja","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Mavinakoppa","middleName":"S","lastName":"Nagaraja","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-08-30 14:38:17","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7495920/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7495920/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":92382138,"identity":"bdc682f8-471b-4c82-aa3e-bcf59b0cdb20","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-09-29 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06:29:50","extension":"html","order_by":4,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":95105,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"earlyproof.html","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7495920/v1/85594e42e8e4403a85ec4d4f.html"},{"id":93386542,"identity":"1e9f41a6-e644-4a3c-ba21-068b76fa96c0","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-10-13 09:47:12","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1079359,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7495920/v1/0a81e717-b5e7-49a0-8342-4fbdcfe92144.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Standardization of harvesting stage of black soldier fly Hermetia illucens (L.) (Diptera : Stratiomyidae) larvae for maximizing the productivity","fulltext":[{"header":"Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eFood produced, processed, and consumed in a way that is socially conscious, environmentally benign, and financially feasible is referred to as sustainable food. There are already over 8\u0026nbsp;billion people on the planet, and as the number rises, maintaining food security will become more and more difficult (Bahar et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). Particularly in areas with uneven food supply and quality, dietary supplements can be very helpful in correcting nutritional deficiencies and improving general health. In order to guarantee a sustainable, just, and healthy future for everybody, cooperation across sectors is necessary to address the urgent problem of the interaction between population and food (Fanzo et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR10\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e). A multidimensional strategy, including the efficient use of food supplements, will be needed to address the intricate link between population increase and food security.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe black soldier fly (BSF), scientifically known as \u003cem\u003eHermetia illucens\u003c/em\u003e, is becoming more and more recognized as a viable way to deal with some of the problems brought on by the world's expanding population. Larvae of black soldier flies are voracious eaters that may ingest a variety of organic items, such as manure, food scraps, and agricultural waste (Holmes et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2016\u003c/span\u003e). Five stages make up the life cycle of a black soldier fly: egg, larva, pre-pupa, pupa, and adult. According to Sharanabasappa et al. (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR20\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e), the incubation, total larval, and pupal periods were found to be 5\u0026ndash;7, 25\u0026ndash;30, and 10\u0026ndash;60 days, respectively. Due to its short lifespan and preference for outdoor habitat, the black soldier fly is not considered a pest (Tomberlin et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2002\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTheir capacity to effectively decompose organic matter makes them a popular choice for waste management and composting. Furthermore, their protein-rich larvae can be utilized for a variety of sustainable purposes, including the production of biofuels, or as animal feed.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOne of the elements that affects the livestock industry's profitability is the availability of high-quality animal feed; also, feed accounts for 50\u0026ndash;70% of maintenance expenses. Crude protein concentration and the necessary amino acid composition of dry feed ingredients are two indicators of animal feed quality. Because of its simple manufacturing method, quick growth rate, and around 40% protein content, black soldier flies can be utilized as feed. (Liland et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBSF larvae lower the amount of waste materials by eating organic garbage, and they also convert the trash into nutrient-rich biomass that may be recovered and turned into a useful resource. Methane, a greenhouse gas created during the anaerobic breakdown of organic waste in landfills, can be decreased by BSF larvae. In order to optimize the recovery of black soldier fly protein and fat, the current study was conducted to standardize the harvesting stage. The majority of earlier studies on BSF have concentrated on the characteristics of immature and adult life, fundamental biological developmental features, raising methods, the process of treating plant and animal waste, and the use of BSF in fish and animal feed (Zhou et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2013\u003c/span\u003e, Myers et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2014\u003c/span\u003e, Manurang et al., 2016).To determine their harvesting stage, black soldier fly larvae are raised solely on kitchen waste in this study.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Material and methods","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec3\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003eExperimental set up\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eDay-old maggots were raised on kitchen trash from cooked hostel meals for up to five days after their eggs hatched. Larvae that were five days old and fed kitchen scraps were used in the experiment. Manually separated 5-day larvae were raised in plastic boxes of 40 x 25 x 15 cm (Length x Width x Height) at a density of 2 heads/cm2 (2000 heads/box). Every box was placed in a room that had a temperature between 25 and 2 degrees Celsius and a relative humidity of 60 to 5 percent. Every day, BSFL was given kitchen scraps, and during the trial, the amount of feed was changed to guarantee enough supply. Water was provided daily for feeding in order to keep the substrate's humidity at 70%.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eFeeding stages dynamic sampling\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter being fed kitchen scraps for five days, the larvae were sampled from each replicate at three, five, seven, nine, eleven, and thirteen days after raising. After being cleaned, the larval samples were dried for 48 hours at 60\u0026deg;C in a hot air oven until their weight remained consistent. The moisture content, ash, crude protein, crude fiber, crude fat, and carbohydrates (Energy) of the dried larval samples were examined to determine their biochemical makeup.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eLarval weight and Morphometric measurements of different ages\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe weight of the larvae was recorded at days 0, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, and 13 of the experiment. The process was carried out three times, with 100 larvae per replication being chosen at random and weighed. Leica Microsystems' application (Version ES2) was used to measure the morphometric measurements (length and breadth) of BSF larvae at various harvesting stages. Before being examined (length and width) under a Leica microscope, insect specimens were killed with diluted ethyl acetate. BSF larvae that were 5, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, and 18 days old were measured.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eProtein Efficient Ratio (PER)\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKitchen scraps were used to feed each treatment. By dividing the protein intake by the larval weight increase, the protein-efficient ratio of the larvae was determined.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLarval weight gain (mg)\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Final weight (mg) \u0026ndash; Initial weight (mg)\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eProtein Efficient Ratio (PER) = \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:\\frac{Larval\\:weight\\:gain\\:\\left(mg\\right)}{Protein\\:intake\\:\\left(mg\\right)}\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eChemical Analysis\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUsing conventional AOAC techniques, the biochemical composition of Black soldier fly larvae of various ages was examined for moisture content, ash, crude fat, crude protein, crude fiber, and carbohydrates.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec8\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003eMoisture content\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eSamples were dried in an oven at 105\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;10 for 12\u0026deg;C until they reached a consistent weight before analysis. The lid and the empty dish were measured exactly. The material was measured at 5\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1 g in an appropriate moisture dish after being individually ground with a mortar and pestle. Together with the sample and lid, the dry dish's weight was recorded. The sample was cooled in desiccators, dried in a hot air oven at 105\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;10\u0026deg;C for 12 hours, and then weighed again with a lid. Heating, cooling, and weighing every 30 minutes until the weight loss between two subsequent weightings is less than 1 milligram.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMoisture (per cent by weight) = \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:\\frac{W1-W2}{W1-W}\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e x 100\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eW\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Weight of dry dish along with lid and sample\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eW\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Weight dish along with material and lid after drying\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eW\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Weight of empty dry dish along with lid\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eAsh content\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe AOAC (2022) method was used to determine the amount of ash. In order to produce gray ash, a 5 g sample was placed in a dry and clean porcelain dish and ignited in a muffle furnace for 6 hours at 550 to 600\u0026deg;C.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAsh (per cent by weight) = \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:\\frac{W2-W}{W1-W}\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e x 100\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eW\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Weight of empty clean dried porcelain dish\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eW\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Weight of the sample\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;dry porcelain dish\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eW\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Weight of the dish\u0026thinsp;+\u0026thinsp;ash\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eCrude fat content\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe ether-extraction method was used in a soxhlet extraction device (AOAC 2022) to assess the crude fat content. By placing 2g of the powdered sample (S) in a thimble inside a glass beaker and weighing it (T), the crude protein was calculated. In order to extract fat, petroleum ether was put into the glass beaker to cover the test part. Following extraction, the residue in a glass beaker was cooled in a desiccator, dried in a hot air oven for 30 minutes at 102\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2℃, and weighed.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFat (%) = \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:\\frac{(F-T)}{S}\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e x 100\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eF\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;weight of glass beaker with residue after extraction\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eT\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;weight of the empty glass beaker\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eS\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;Sample weight\u003c/p\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec11\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003eCrude protein content\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eBy measuring the total nitrogen using the Kjeldahl method and multiplying the nitrogen percentage by 6.25, the total crude protein content was calculated.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTotal nitrogen (g/100 g sample) = (a-b) \u0026times;Normality \u0026times; 14 x100/g of sample \u0026times;1000\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003ea\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;ml of standard acid for sample\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003cli\u003e\u003cp\u003eb\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;ml of standard acid for blank\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\u003c/ul\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec12\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003eCrude fiber content\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eAfter the sample was digested with acid and then alkali, the leftover residue was weighed and oven-dried for two hours at 130\u0026deg;C to determine the crude fiber using the muslin cloth method. The sample was cooled in a desiccator before being ignited in a muffle furnace.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCrude fiber = \u003cspan class=\"InlineEquation\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"mathinline\"\u003e\\(\\:\\frac{\\:(\\text{C}\\text{r}\\text{u}\\text{c}\\text{i}\\text{b}\\text{l}\\text{e}\\:\\text{w}\\text{e}\\text{i}\\text{g}\\text{h}\\text{t}\\:\\text{b}\\text{e}\\text{f}\\text{o}\\text{r}\\text{e}\\:\\text{a}\\text{s}\\text{h}\\:-\\:\\text{C}\\text{r}\\text{u}\\text{c}\\text{i}\\text{b}\\text{l}\\text{e}\\:\\text{w}\\text{e}\\text{i}\\text{g}\\text{h}\\text{t}\\:\\text{a}\\text{f}\\text{t}\\text{e}\\text{r}\\:\\text{a}\\text{s}\\text{h})}{\\text{C}\\text{r}\\text{u}\\text{c}\\text{i}\\text{b}\\text{l}\\text{e}\\:\\text{w}\\text{e}\\text{i}\\text{g}\\text{h}\\text{t}\\:}\\)\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec13\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003eCarbohydrate content\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eBy subtracting the total of the moisture, crude fat, crude protein, and total ash values (per 100g) from 100, the carbohydrate content was calculated by difference. (AOAC, 1999).\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec14\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003eStatistical analysis\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe information regarding various parameters was analyzed using a completely randomized design, with four replications for the significance test and critical significance computation. For comparison, means and standard errors were computed at a significance level of 1%. The Tukey's HSD test was used to compare the means of the various treatments.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Results","content":"\u003cdiv id=\"Sec16\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003eLarval weight\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eBlack soldier fly larvae's final larval weight varied greatly depending on their age. There was no discernible variation in the weight of the larvae at five and eight days (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01) (Table\u0026nbsp;2). At 306.66\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;3.79 mg/larva, the 18-day-old larva (D13) had the highest recorded larval weight, followed by a 16-day-old larva at 255.23\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;2.45 mg/larva (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01). Five-day-old larvae had the lowest larval weight (2.13\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.43 mg/larva; p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01), while eight-day-old (D3), ten-day (D5), twelve-day (D7), and fourteen-day (D9) larvae had the highest larval weights (9.90 mg, 45.46 mg, 141.66 mg, and 221.33 mg, respectively).\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec17\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003eMorphometrics of different aged larvae\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eSignificant differences were found in larval length throughout all larval ages. As the larval growth time increased, so did the larval length. The larvae that were five days old had the lowest length, ranging from 5.41 to 7.21 mm with a mean of 6.20\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.15 mm (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01). The larvae that were eighteen days old had the longest length, 25.35\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.32 mm (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01), with a range of 23.86 to 28.05 mm. Similar to the difference in length, the larval breadth of a five-day-old and an eighteen-day-old differs significantly (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01). The mean width of a five-day-old larva was 1.20\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.05 mm (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01), with a range of 1 to 1.6 mm. Additionally, at 18 days of larval development, it rose to 5.50\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.06 mm (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01), with a range of 4.60 to 6.39 mm.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec18\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003eProtein Efficient Ratio (PER)\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eSignificant variations in larval weight increase were seen across all larval ages for the protein efficient ratio (PER). Larval weight gain was progressively increased until the larvae were 12 days old, when the mean was 95.96\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.99 mg/larva (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01), and then at 14 days old, when it was 80.33\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.88 mg/larva (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01). The protein efficient ratio showed a substantial change in a 12-day-old (D7) due to an increase in larval weight gain, with a maximum value of 4.65\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.10, followed by a 14-day-old larva with 4.06\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.04. Five-day-old larvae had the lowest PER, at 0.04\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.01 (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01).\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv id=\"Sec19\" class=\"Section2\"\u003e\u003ch2\u003eProximate composition of black soldier fly larvae of different harvesting times\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor the protein efficient ratio (PER), notable differences in the growth in larval weight were seen at all larval ages. Before reaching a mean of 95.96\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1.99 mg/larva (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01) at 12 days and 80.33\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.88 mg/larva (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01) at 14 days, the larvae's weight gain was gradually enhanced. Due to an increase in larval weight gain, the protein efficient ratio significantly changed in a 12-day-old (D7), reaching a maximum value of 4.65\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.10, followed by a 14-day-old larva with 4.06\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.04. At 0.04\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.01 (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01), the larvae that were five days old had the lowest PER.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBetween the various larval ages, the crude protein level changed considerably, ranging from 24.0 to 28.75 percent. Black soldier fly larvae at 14 days old had a crude protein content of 24.36\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.82 percent (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01), indicating another rise in crude protein content. This was followed by a progressive increase and stabilization at 16 and 18 days old, when the larvae had 27.80\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.61% and 25.35\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.64%, respectively. On the other hand, the crude protein content of larvae that are 10 days old (26.98\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.46%) and those that are 18 days old (25.35\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0.64%) is comparable. Black soldier fly larvae's crude fiber content increased considerably as their age grew (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01).\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e"},{"header":"Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eA major worldwide problem is the growing population, which is causing food scarcity. Without certain, by 2050, there will be 9.7 billion people on the planet. There are currently 820 million hungry people (Tripathi et al., 2019). Black soldier flies have become a sustainable food supply because 2 billion people lack access to safe, nourishing food, which helps them avoid the negative effects of food shortages, such as starvation, malnutrition, environmental damage, and unstable economies. Large-scale BSFL rearing has the potential to replace traditional animal feed sources with a sustainable and healthful food and feed source (Raman et al., 2022; Shumo et al., 2019). Furthermore, according to Rumpold and Schl\u0026uuml;ter (2013), BSFL are a repository of proteins, fatty acids, minerals, and a significant quantity of carbs. In order to enhance the production of the various ages of larvae, this study examined their nutritional composition.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWith varying feeding substrates, black soldier fly larvae went through different harvesting phases. According to this study, when harvesting or growth time increased, so did the larval weight, length, and breadth. Similar findings were made in the earlier study by Added et al. (2021), which found that larvae raised on butchery and vegetable waste increased in weight, length, and breadth from 5 to 17 days. The results of the current investigation were larger than those of this study, which may be because of the different strain, growing region, feeding substrates, and weather parameters. Cain et al. (2022) reported that the adult male and female body lengths ranged from 13.0- 17.0 mm and 13.8-18.0 mm, respectively.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe protein quality and utilization efficiency of black soldier fly larvae are measured by their protein efficient ratio. PER was found in black soldier fly larvae for kitchen garbage in this study, however, and it was highest in 12-day-old larvae (D7) at 4.65 compared to other harvesting times. The current investigation\u0026apos;s black soldier fly larva PER is higher than that of Cheng et al.\u0026apos;s 2023 study, which found that the larvae\u0026apos;s PERs for soybean meal (SBM) and fishmeal (FM) were 2.38 and 2.34, respectively. The increased larval weight and feeding substrate may have contributed to the 12 day old larva\u0026apos;s PER of 1.38 when raised on fresh tofu feed, according to Pham et al. (2022).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThroughout the several stages of BSF larvae, there is a discernible trend of variation in the moisture, crude fat, and crude protein concentrations. Increased dry matter accumulation, water loss through transpiration and excretion, and an increase in metabolic activities could all be to blame. Crude fat content rises quickly during stages 5 and 18 of larval development, peaking at 59.06% of dry mass. The earlier research by Liu et al. (2017), Wong et al. (2019), and Pham et al. (2022) all showed the similar pattern.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCompared to earlier research, a greater crude fat content was found in all BSFL growth or harvesting stages in this study. The nutritional makeup of feeding substrates could be the cause. Applying various feed substrates increased the amount of crude fat in BSF larvae, a finding corroborated by Ewald et al. (2020), who found that BSF fed bread and food waste produced crude fat contents of 57.80% and 40.70%, respectively. The crude protein content of BSF larvae at various harvesting stages varied significantly.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe results are consistent with earlier research by Ewald et al. (2020), which found that when raised on food waste, the crude protein content was 27.90\u0026plusmn;0.2%. Nonetheless, disparate results regarding the protein composition of BSF were noted by Liu et al. (2017), Wong et al. (2019), and Pham et al. (2022). The BSF fed on various feeding surfaces and feeding rates may be the cause of this (Diener et al., 2009).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eContrary to the fluctuations in moisture, crude protein, and crude fat content at various harvesting stages, the ash level stayed constant between the ages of 5 and 18 days, ranging from 3.02 to 3.92 percent. This could be caused by the stage of development and the makeup of the diet. Higher chitin and other structural polysaccharide accumulation or improved digestive enzyme activity may be the cause of the larvae\u0026apos;s higher crude fiber content as they grow and develop (Liu et al., 2017). The results of this investigation are comparable to those of the earlier work by Pham et al. (2022), in which larvae aged 5 to 14 days had fiber contents ranging from 7.04 to 10.98%.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAmong the most important nutrients for BSF larvae, carbohydrates assist balance their diet and give them adequate energy for growth and survival. Dietary sources may be the cause of the variations in carbohydrate content during life stages. The results are consistent with the earlier research conducted by Cohn et al. (2022).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDepending on whether it is used for pet food, aqua feed, or chicken feed, the nutrient quality of the BSFL generated changes according to the product\u0026apos;s uses and, consequently, the needs of the final user. The nutritional value of the BSFL produced can be maintained by standardizing the substrate that is fed to the animals. However, the final quality of the BSFL is impacted by substrate from different waste streams. Despite using identical substrates, the dietary pattern of proteins is influenced by things like the amount of fatty acids, lipids, and chitin in their bodies. This prevents BSFL from being produced as the main source of protein for animal feed (Mohan et al., 2022).\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003ch2\u003eContribution\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe facilities provided by the Food Processing and Engineering department (FPE)\u0026apos;s Pesticide Residue and Food Quality Analysis Laboratory Raichur are greatly appreciated. I also want to thank all of the employees for their unwavering support.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eFunding\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe thank the Organic Farming Research Centre (OFRC), Keladi Shivappa Nayaka University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Shimoga, for providing research funding for this work.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eAuthor Contribution\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAishwarya Bellanki : Writing original draft, Visualization, Validation, Methodology, Investigation, Formal analysis, Data curation.Pradeep Shivanand : Writing review and editing, Visualization, Resources and Supervision.Prabhuraj Aralimarad : Writing review and editing, Visualization, Resources, Supervision, Validation, Investigation, and Conceptualization.Sharanabasappa S Deshmukh : Writing review and editing, Visualization, Validation, Formal analysis and Data curation.Sridhara Shankrappa : Writing review and editing, Visualization, Resources, Supervision.Mavinakoppa S Nagaraja : Writing review and editing, Visualization, Resources, Supervision.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eAcknowledgement\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors are indebted to the Department of A gricultural Entomology, University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Shimoga, Karnataka, and the Pesticide Residue and Food Quality Analysis Laboratory (PRFQAL), University of Agricultural Sciences Raichur, for all kinds of support.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eData Availability\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eData will be made available on request i.e., The datasets used and analysed during the current study available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eAddeo, Nicola Francesco, Simone Vozzo, Giulia Secci, Vincenzo Mastellone, Giovanni Piccolo, Pietro Lombardi, Giuliana Parisi, Khalid A. Asiry, Youssef A. Attia, and Fulvia Bovera., 2021,\u0026quot;Different combinations of butchery and vegetable wastes on growth performance, chemical-nutritional characteristics and oxidative status of black soldier fly growing larvae.\u0026quot; \u003cem\u003eAnimals\u003c/em\u003e 11, 12: 3515.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eAOAC., 1999, Official methods of analysis. 16\u003csup\u003eth\u003c/sup\u003e edition, 5\u003csup\u003eth\u003c/sup\u003e revision, Association of Official Analytical chemists, Washington DC.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eAOAC., 2022, \u0026nbsp;Official methods of analysis. 22\u003csup\u003end\u003c/sup\u003e edition, Association of Official Analytical chemists, Washington DC.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eBahar, N.H., Lo, M., Sanjaya, M., Van Vianen, J., Alexander, P., Ickowitz, A., Sunderland, T., 2020. Meeting the food security challenge for nine billion people in 2050: What impact on forests?. \u003cem\u003eGlobal Environmental Change\u003c/em\u003e,\u0026nbsp;62:102056.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eCai, M., LI, L., Zhao, Z., Zhang, K., Li., Yu, C., Yuan, R., Zhou, B., Ren, Z., Yu, Z., Zhang, J., 2022, Morphometric Characteristic of Black Soldier Fly (\u003cem\u003eHermetia illucens\u003c/em\u003e) Wuhan Strain and Its Egg Production Improved by Selectively Inbreeding. \u003cem\u003eLife.\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003e12\u003c/strong\u003e(6): 873.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eCheng, V., Shoveller, A. K., Huber, L. A. and Kiarie, E. G., 2023. Comparative protein quality in black soldier fly larvae meal vs. soybean meal and fish meal using classical protein efficiency ratio (PER) chick growth assay model. \u003cem\u003ePoult. 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J., 2017, \u0026nbsp;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, \u003cstrong\u003e12\u003c/strong\u003e(8): 0183188.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eLiu, X., Chen, X., Wang, H., Yang, Q., Ur Rehman, K., Li, W., Cai, M., Li, Q. \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; Mazza., Zhang, J., Yu, Z., 2017, Dynamic changes of nutrient composition throughout the entire life cycle of black soldier fly. \u003cem\u003ePLoS One\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003e12\u003c/strong\u003e(8):1-21.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eManurung, R., Supriatna, A., Esyanthi, R.R. and Putra, R.E., 2016. Bioconversion of rice straw waste by black soldier fly larvae (\u003cem\u003eHermetia illucens\u003c/em\u003e L.): optimal feed rate for biomass production. \u003cem\u003eJ Entomol Zool Stud\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e4\u003c/em\u003e(4): 1036-1041.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eMohan, K., Rajan, D.K., Muralisankar, T., Ganesan, A.R., Sathishkumar, P. and Revathi, N., 2022. Use of black soldier fly (\u003cem\u003eHermetia illucens\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003eL.) larvae meal in aquafeeds for a sustainable aquaculture industry: A review of past and future needs. \u003cem\u003eAquaculture\u003c/em\u003e,\u0026nbsp;553 : 738095.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eMyers, H. M., Tomberlin, J. K., Lambert, B. D. \u0026nbsp;Kattes, D., 2014. Development of black soldier fly (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) larvae fed dairy manure. \u003cem\u003eEnviron. entomol\u003c/em\u003e,\u0026nbsp;37(1):11-15.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003ePham, T. P. L., Le, D. N., Nguyen, H. Q., Nguyen, D. Q. T., 2022, Effects of harvesting time on yield, chemical composition of black soldier fly \u003cem\u003e(Hermetia illucens)\u003c/em\u003e larvae and replacement of trash fish for feeding seabass ( \u003cem\u003eLates\u003c/em\u003e \u003cem\u003ecalcarifer\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003eBloch, 1790) rearing in fresh and brackish water. \u003cem\u003eLive. Res Rural Develop.,\u003c/em\u003e \u003cstrong\u003e34\u003c/strong\u003e(3).\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eRaman, S.S., Stringer, L.C., Bruce, N.C. and Chong, C.S., 2022. Opportunities, challenges and solutions for black soldier fly larvae-based animal feed production. \u003cem\u003eJ. Clean. Prod.\u003c/em\u003e,\u0026nbsp;373:133802.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eRumpold, B.A. and Schl\u0026uuml;ter, O.K., 2013. Nutritional composition and safety aspects of edible insects. \u003cem\u003eMolecular nutrition \u0026amp; food research\u003c/em\u003e,\u0026nbsp;57(5): 802-823.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eSharanabasappa, D., Srikanth, B. H., Maruthi, M. S., Pavithra, H. B., 2019, Biology of black soldier fly, \u003cem\u003eHermetia illucens\u0026nbsp;\u003c/em\u003e(L.) (Diptera :Statiomyidae) on muskmelon fruit. \u003cem\u003eIndian J Entomol.,\u003c/em\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;81\u003c/strong\u003e(1): 153-155.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eShumo, M., Osuga, I. M., Khamis, F. M., Tanga, C. M., Fiaboe, K. K., Subramanian, S., Ekesi, S., van Huis, A. and Borgemeister, C., 2019. The nutritive value of black soldier fly larvae reared on common organic waste streams in Kenya. \u003cem\u003eSci. Rep\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e9\u003c/em\u003e(1): 10110.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eTomberlin, J. K., Sheppard, D. C., Joyce, J. A., 2002, Susceptibility of black soldier fly (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) larvae and adults to four insecticides. \u003cem\u003eJ. Econ. Entomol.\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003e95\u003c/strong\u003e(3): 598-602\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eTripathi, A.D., Mishra, R., Maurya, K.K., Singh, R.B. and Wilson, D.W., 2019, Estimates for world population and global food availability for global health. In \u003cem\u003eThe role of functional food security in global health\u003c/em\u003e pp 3-24, Academic Press.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eTSCHIRNER, M. AND SIMON, A., 2015, Influence of different growing substrates and processing on the nutrient composition of black soldier fly larvae destined for animal feed. \u003cem\u003eJ. insects food feed.\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003e1\u003c/strong\u003e(4): 249-259.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eWong, C. Y., Rosli, S. S., Uemura, Y., Ho Yc, Leejeerajumnean, A., \u0026nbsp; Kiatkattipong, W., Cheng, C. K., Lam, M. K., Lim, J, W., 2019, Potential protein and biodiesel sources from black soldier fly larvae: Insights of larval harvesting instar and fermented feeding medium. \u003cem\u003eEnergies.\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003e12\u003c/strong\u003e(8): 1570.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eZhou, F., Tomberlin, J.K., Zheng, L., Yu, Z. and Zhang, J., 2013. Developmental and waste reduction plasticity of three black soldier fly strains (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) raised on different livestock manures. \u003cem\u003eJ. medical. entomol.\u003c/em\u003e, 50(6):1224-1230.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"},{"header":"Tables","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable I. Larval weight and morphometric measurements of different harvesting stages of BSF larvae reared on kitchen waste\u003c/strong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ctable border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" width=\"720\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 72px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSl. No.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd rowspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 126px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHarvesting stages\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 132px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 198px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLength (mm)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"2\" style=\"width: 192px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBreadth (mm)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 132px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLarval weight(mg/larva)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e( Mean\u0026plusmn;SD)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 96px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRange\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMean\u0026plusmn;SD\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 84px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRange\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 108px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMean\u0026plusmn;SD\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 72px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e01\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 126px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e5 days old\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 132px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.13\u0026plusmn;0.43\u003csup\u003ef\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 96px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e5.41-7.21\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e6.20\u0026plusmn;0.15 \u003csup\u003eg\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 84px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1 -1.6\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 108px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.20\u0026plusmn;0.05\u003csup\u003eg\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 72px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e02\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 126px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e8 days old\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 132px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e9.90\u0026plusmn;1.21\u003csup\u003ef\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 96px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e8.05-9.95\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e9.05\u0026plusmn;0.16 \u003csup\u003ef\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 84px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.79-2.90\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 108px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.23\u0026plusmn;0.12\u003csup\u003ef\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 72px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e03\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 126px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e10 days old\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 132px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e45.46\u0026plusmn;2.74\u003csup\u003ee\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 96px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e12.10-17.50\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e14.65\u0026plusmn;0.59 \u003csup\u003ee\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 84px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.15-3.82\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 108px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.26\u0026plusmn;0.08\u003csup\u003ee\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 72px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e04\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 126px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e12 days old\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 132px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e141.66\u0026plusmn;3.61\u003csup\u003ed\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 96px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e20.06-24.58\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e22.86\u0026plusmn;0.40 \u003csup\u003ed\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 84px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.24-4.75\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 108px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4.00\u0026plusmn;0.14\u003csup\u003ed\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 72px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e05\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 126px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e14 days old\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 132px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e221.33\u0026plusmn;6.84\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 96px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e22.12-26.58\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e24.35\u0026plusmn;0.47 \u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 84px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.95-5.25\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 108px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4.73\u0026plusmn;0.13\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 72px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e06\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 126px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e16 days old\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 132px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e255.23\u0026plusmn;2.45\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 96px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e23.18-26.95\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e24.86\u0026plusmn;0.96 \u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 84px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4.20-6.11\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 108px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e5.16\u0026plusmn;0.1\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 72px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e07\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 126px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e18 days old\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 132px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e306.66\u0026plusmn;3.79\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 96px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e23.86-28.05\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e25.35\u0026plusmn;0.32\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 84px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4.60-6.39\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"bottom\" style=\"width: 108px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e5.50\u0026plusmn;0.06\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 72px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 126px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eS.Em \u0026plusmn;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 132px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.61\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 96px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.51\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 84px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 108px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.10\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 72px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 126px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCD at 1%\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 132px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e15.08\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 96px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.14\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 84px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 108px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.43\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 72px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 126px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCV\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 132px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4.41\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 96px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 102px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4.76\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 84px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e-\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 108px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4.75\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNote:\u003c/strong\u003e Different letters within a column indicate significant differences across treatments by Tukey\u0026rsquo;s HSD test at p \u0026lt; 0.01, N = 100 (larval weight), N = 10 (morphometric measurements), Values in the parenthesis indicates the range \u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable II. \u0026nbsp;Protein Efficient Ratio of BSF larvae of different harvesting \u0026nbsp;stages reared on kitchen waste\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ctable border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" width=\"638\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 128px;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u0026nbsp;\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSl. No.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 128px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHarvesting stages\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 128px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLarval weight gain(mg/larva)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 128px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eProtein Intake (mg/larva)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 128px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eProtein Efficient Ratio\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 128px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e01\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 128px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e5 days old\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 128px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.99\u0026plusmn;0.17\u003csup\u003eg\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 128px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e19.96\u0026plusmn;0.61\u003csup\u003eab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 128px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.04\u0026plusmn;0.01\u003csup\u003ef\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 128px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e02\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 128px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e8 days old\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 128px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e7.80\u0026plusmn;0.55\u003csup\u003ef\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 128px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e16.16\u0026plusmn;0.44\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 128px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.47\u0026plusmn;0.08\u003csup\u003ee\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 128px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e03\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 128px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e10 days old\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 128px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e35.56\u0026plusmn;1.41\u003csup\u003ed\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 128px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e20.16\u0026plusmn;0.38\u003csup\u003eab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 128px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.76\u0026plusmn;0.01\u003csup\u003ed\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 128px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e04\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 128px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e12 days old\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 128px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e95.96\u0026plusmn;1.99\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 128px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e20.70\u0026plusmn;1.01\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 128px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4.65\u0026plusmn;0.1\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 128px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e05\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 128px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e14 days old\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 128px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e80.33\u0026plusmn;0.88\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 128px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e19.73\u0026plusmn;0.12\u003csup\u003eab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 128px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4.06\u0026plusmn;0.04\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 128px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e06\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 128px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e16 days old\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 128px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e33.40\u0026plusmn;1.78\u003csup\u003ee\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 128px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e20.23\u0026plusmn;0.54\u003csup\u003eab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 128px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.67\u0026plusmn;0.08\u003csup\u003ed\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 128px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e07\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 128px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e18 days old\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 128px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e51.13\u0026plusmn;0.49\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 128px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e17.80\u0026plusmn;1.49\u003csup\u003ebc\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 128px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.87\u0026plusmn;0.02\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 128px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 128px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eS.Em \u0026plusmn;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 128px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.01\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 128px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.54\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 128px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.06\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 128px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 128px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCD at 1%\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 128px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4.07\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 128px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;2.26\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 128px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.24\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 128px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 128px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCV\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 128px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.85\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 128px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4.80\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 128px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4.47\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNote : Different letters within a column indicate significant differences across treatments by Tukey\u0026rsquo;s HSD test at p\u0026lt;0.01\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTable III: Proximate composition of different harvesting stages of BSF larvae when reared on kitchen waste\u003c/strong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ctable border=\"1\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"0\" width=\"661\"\u003e\n \u003ctbody\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 36px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 84px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd colspan=\"6\" valign=\"top\" style=\"width: 541px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; Proximate Composition (%)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 36px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSl. No.\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 84px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHarvesting stages\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 79px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMoisture\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 84px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAsh\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 87px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCrude Fat\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 91px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCrude protien\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 91px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCrude fiber\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 109px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEnergy\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 36px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e01\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 84px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e5 day old\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 79px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.48\u0026plusmn;0.07\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 84px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.48\u0026plusmn;0.03\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 87px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e33.38\u0026plusmn;0.79\u003csup\u003ee\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 91px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e28.75\u0026plusmn;0.58\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 91px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e5.94\u0026plusmn;0.22\u003csup\u003ee\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 109px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e30.88\u0026plusmn;0.59\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 36px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e02\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 84px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e8 day old\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 79px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.73\u0026plusmn;0.07\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 84px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.94\u0026plusmn;0.02\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 87px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e43.22\u0026plusmn;0.46\u003csup\u003ed\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 91px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e28.51\u0026plusmn;0.74\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 91px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e9.16\u0026plusmn;0.09\u003csup\u003ed\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 109px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e21.58\u0026plusmn;0.23\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 36px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e03\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 84px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e10 day old\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 79px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.76\u0026plusmn;0.07\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 84px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.92\u0026plusmn;0.02\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 87px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e47.56\u0026plusmn;0.23\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 91px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e26.98\u0026plusmn;0.46\u003csup\u003eab\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 91px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e9.37\u0026plusmn;0.23\u003csup\u003ed\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 109px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e18.78\u0026plusmn;0.42\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 36px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e04\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 84px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e12 day old\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 79px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e2.24\u0026plusmn;0.07\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 84px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.29\u0026plusmn;0.18\u003csup\u003ebc\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 87px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e51.24\u0026plusmn;0.78\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 91px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e24\u0026plusmn;1.15\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 91px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e10.20\u0026plusmn;0.20\u003csup\u003ecd\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 109px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e19.2\u0026plusmn;0.36\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 36px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e05\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 84px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e14 day old\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 79px;\"\u003e\n 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\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCD at 1%\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 79px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.27\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 84px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e0.39\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 87px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.64\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 91px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.13\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 91px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.05\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 109px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e1.64\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003ctr\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 36px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 84px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCV\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 79px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4.85\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 84px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4.66\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 87px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.02\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 91px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4.85\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 91px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e4.55\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003ctd style=\"width: 109px;\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003e3.71\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003c/td\u003e\n \u003c/tr\u003e\n \u003c/tbody\u003e\n\u003c/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNote : Different letters within a column indicate significant differences across treatments by Tukey\u0026rsquo;s HSD test at p \u0026lt; 0.01\u003c/p\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"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":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Morphometrics, Biochemical composition, Larval development, Hermetia illucens","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7495920/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7495920/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThe scientific name for the black soldier fly (BSF), \u003cem\u003eHermetia illucens\u003c/em\u003e, is drawing interest as a viable way to deal with some of the problems brought on by an expanding world population. By standardizing the harvesting stage process, the current study aimed to produce high-quality black soldier fly larvae. At 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, and 13 days after rearing, larvae that are 5 days old are fed kitchen garbage based on when they are harvested. Crude fat content increased quickly during the larvae's development from 5 to 18 days, peaking at 59.06% at a year old. Although the crude fat content of larvae aged 14, 16, and 18 days did not differ significantly, the crude protein content of larvae at 16 days was higher at 27.80%. In order to maximize the number of larvae produced, it was determined that the ideal time to harvest them was when they were 16 days old.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Standardization of harvesting stage of black soldier fly Hermetia illucens (L.) (Diptera : Stratiomyidae) larvae for maximizing the productivity","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-09-29 06:29:45","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7495920/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"52304fc8-7ce1-4954-ae33-3d8a321a77ec","owner":[],"postedDate":"September 29th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[{"id":55197410,"name":"Biological sciences/Biological techniques"},{"id":55197411,"name":"Biological sciences/Ecology"},{"id":55197412,"name":"Earth and environmental sciences/Ecology"},{"id":55197413,"name":"Biological sciences/Zoology"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-10-13T09:39:04+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-09-29 06:29:45","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-7495920","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-7495920","identity":"rs-7495920","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}