SBIR Phase I: Optimizing black soldier fly genetics and husbandry for industrialization of organic waste bioconversion

这项小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目的更广泛影响是促进昆虫蛋白作为动物饲料的替代蛋白质来源，与大豆和鱼粉相比，昆虫蛋白的环境足迹要低得多。目前，美国生产的食物中有超过40%被浪费，每年与浪费相关的潜在损失达1620亿美元。这项拟议中的技术利用了非瘟疫、贪婪的黑虻幼虫（BSFL）的生物转化潜力，将这些浪费的材料迅速转化为有价值的富含蛋白质、高脂肪的昆虫生物质，适合用于动物饲料。拟议的项目将探讨与动物饲料中幼虫产品产生有关的动态。该项目将解开生物反应器中控制资源枯竭和支撑昆虫-基质-微生物复合物的热交换的动力学。利用昆虫繁殖时间的快速更替和基因组选择，该项目将改善BSFL的许多经济相关性状，提高生物转化率，使幼虫更强壮，可以在各种废物原料中茁壮成长。同样，通过开发一种专有的生物反应器设计来解决传统饲养系统带来的菌落热交换和氧化相关的挑战，并优化幼虫生长过程中的环境条件（热、氧和湿度），该项目将抑制致命条件，并允许显著提高放养密度。总的来说，主要的可持续性目标是对可能含有有毒或不需要的化合物的农业副产品进行升级循环。这个项目将评估幼虫产品中污染物的命运，如果有的话，以确保高质量的动物饲料。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is in promoting insect protein as an alternative source of protein for animal feed with a considerably lower environmental footprint compared to soy and fishmeal. With over 40% of food produced in the U.S today wasted and a potential $162 billion in annual loss related to waste, the proposed technology leverages the bioconversion potential of the non-pestiferous, voracious black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) to rapidly convert these wasted materials into a valuable protein-rich, high-fat insect biomass suitable for animal feed. The proposed project will explore dynamics related to generation of larval products in animal feed. The project will untangle the dynamics controlling depletion of resources and heat exchange underpinning the insect-substrate-microbial complex within bioreactors. By leveraging the rapid turnover in insect generation time and applying Genomic Selection, the project will improve many economically relevant traits in BSFL, enhance bioconversion rates, and make the larvae more robust to thrive with a variety of waste feedstock materials. Similarly, by developing a proprietary bioreactor design to solve the challenges associated with heat exchange and oxygenation of colonies posed by traditional rearing systems and optimizing environmental conditions (heat, oxygen, and moisture) during larvae growth, the project will inhibit lethal conditions and permit a significantly higher stocking density. Overall, the main sustainability objective is to upcycle agricultural by-products that may contain toxic or undesired compounds. This project will assess the fate of pollutants in larval products, if any, in order to assure high-quality animal feed.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.