The utilization of yellow mealworm, Tenebrio molitor (Linnaeus, Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), for food and feed is gaining interest globally. However, its production is hindered by expensive commercial diets. This study assessed mealworm growth performance, survival, bioconversion, and nutritional composition when fed on wheat bran (WB) with different inclusion levels (25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%) of Irish potato waste (PW). Results indicated that mealworms fed on diets with 25%–75% PW had increased body length and 1–2 times higher weight gain compared to sole WB and PW diets. The survival rate was 93%–94% across all diets. Mealworms fed on WB had a feed conversion ratio of 3.26, while the efficiency of diet conversion increased with PW inclusion levels. Mealworms fed on diets with 75% PW inclusion had the highest crude fat (48%) and energy levels (598 kcal/100 g), while sole WB produced mealworms with the highest crude protein (55%). The acid detergent fiber achieved using 100% WB was 2- to 3-fold higher, but the crude fiber and neutral detergent fiber did not vary significantly. Considerable amounts of lysine (1.6–2 mg/100 g), methionine (0.5–0.7 mg/100 g), leucine (1.4–2 mg/100 g), and threonine (0.8–1 mg/100 g) were achieved in the mealworm larvae. Our findings revealed that cheap agricultural by-products could be successfully used for the mass production of mealworms, substantially contributing to reduced production costs. Further exploration of the nutrient-dense mealworm larvae for the development of novel food and feed products is crucial.

中文翻译：

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利用黄粉虫（鞘翅目：步甲科）有效地将农业食品废物转化为营养丰富的生物质，用于食品和饲料

利用黄粉虫黄粉虫（林奈，鞘翅目：黄粉虫科）作为食品和饲料正在引起全球的兴趣。然而，其生产受到昂贵的商业饮食的阻碍。本研究评估了以爱尔兰马铃薯废料 (PW) 中不同含量（25%、50%、75% 和 100%）的麦麸 (WB) 为食时黄粉虫的生长性能、存活率、生物转化和营养成分。结果表明，与单独的 WB 和 PW 饲料相比，饲喂 25%–75% PW 饲料的黄粉虫体长增加，体重增加 1–2 倍。所有饮食的存活率为 93%–94%。以 WB 喂养的黄粉虫的饲料转化率为 3.26，而日粮转化效率随着 PW 含量的增加而增加。饲喂含有 75% PW 的饲料的黄粉虫具有最高的粗脂肪 (48%) 和能量水平 (598 kcal/100 g)，而单独的 WB 产生的黄粉虫具有最高的粗蛋白 (55%)。使用 100% WB 获得的酸性洗涤纤维高出 2 至 3 倍，但粗纤维和中性洗涤纤维没有显着差异。获得了大量的赖氨酸 (1.6–2 mg/100 g)、蛋氨酸 (0.5–0.7 mg/100 g)、亮氨酸 (1.4–2 mg/100 g) 和苏氨酸 (0.8–1 mg/100 g)粉虫幼虫。我们的研究结果表明，廉价的农副产品可以成功地用于黄粉虫的大规模生产，从而大大降低生产成本。进一步探索营养丰富的黄粉虫幼虫对于开发新型食品和饲料产品至关重要。