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Starter and main diet impact on black soldier fly rearing: growth and chitin
Thesis   Open access

Starter and main diet impact on black soldier fly rearing: growth and chitin

Risa Otake
Southern Cross University
Masters by Thesis, Southern Cross University
2025
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25918/thesis.571
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Otake R Masters by Thesis 20254.38 MBDownloadView
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Abstract

Black soldier fly Chitin Growth Starter diet Length Width
This study investigates how diet composition affects the growth and chitin yield of black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens, BSF) larvae. A two-stage feeding approach was used, consisting of a starter diet and a main diet. The starter diet refers to the first diet provided to the larvae at the beginning of the experiment, and included beef crumbles (BC), pig pellets (PP), chicken crumbles (CC), or no starter diet. The main diet followed, with varying meat-to-vegetable ratios: 2:8, 5:5, 8:2, or no diet change. Larval development was assessed through body length and width measurements, and chitin was extracted from pupal exuviae for thermal and structural analysis. Starter diets accelerated early larval development, but the composition of the main diet had a stronger influence on final size. Larvae fed a balanced main diet (5:5) without a starter diet reached the largest size, while high meat content (8:2) reduced larval width and harvest rates. Larval width was more sensitive to dietary variation than length, suggesting its potential as a key indicator for biomass yield. Previous studies support that protein-rich diets shorten development time, but do not always increase larval protein content. Mixed diets often yield higher biomass than pure meat diets, and microbial communities also influence bioconversion efficiency. Chitin yield was 4.4–7.8% higher in larvae fed protein-rich diets (main diets 8:2 and 5:5) compared to those fed a lower-protein diet (main diet 2:8). Starter diets alone did not significantly increase chitin yield, indicating that the protein content in the main diet is more influential. Thermal analysis showed that high-protein diets produced stronger thermal stability and higher char formation, while low-protein diets resulted in reduced exothermic reactions and lower carbon retention. Despite dietary differences, X-ray diffraction patterns of chitin remained consistent, suggesting that diet does not affect crystalline structure. These findings highlight that overall nutritional balance, rather than individual ingredients, plays a key role in chitin biosynthesis and quality. This research fills a gap in BSF literature by linking diet composition to both larval morphology and chitin production, contributing to the development of diet-optimised BSF farming for sustainable protein and biopolymer applications.

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