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

这一小型企业创新研究(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蛋白质的替代来源，与大豆和鱼粉相比，环境足迹大大降低。目前，美国40%以上的食品被浪费，每年可能有1620亿美元的损失与废物有关，这项拟议的技术利用非瘟疫、贪婪的黑色士兵蝇幼虫(BSFL)的生物转化潜力，将这些浪费的材料快速转化为适合动物饲料的宝贵的富含蛋白质、高脂肪的昆虫生物量。拟议的项目将探索与动物饲料中幼虫产品生成有关的动态。该项目将解开控制生物反应器内昆虫-底物-微生物复合体的资源消耗和热交换的动态。通过利用昆虫世代时间的快速周转和应用基因组选择，该项目将改善BSFL的许多经济相关性状，提高生物转化率，并使幼虫更强壮，能够利用各种废弃的饲料材料茁壮成长。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与菌落热交换和氧化相关的挑战，并优化幼虫生长期间的环境条件(热、氧和水分)，该项目将抑制致命条件并允许显著更高的饲养密度。总体而言，可持续发展的主要目标是对可能含有有毒或有害化合物的农业副产品进行升级。该项目将评估幼虫产品中污染物的去向，以确保高质量的动物饲料。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势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.