June 28, 2022

 

USDA ARS scientists to convert bugs into poultry feed

 

Scientists and researchers from the US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) are working on a project to convert bugs such as mosquitoes and flies into poultry feed, the USDA reported.

 

Kathryn Markham, from the office of communications at ARS, said the project is one of three winning ideas in ARSX2021, a competition that encourages researchers to propose cutting-edge, high-risk ideas that cross disciplines and break down barriers to address our most pressing challenges.

 

She said by specifically suggesting the use of pest insects like mosquitoes, which are common in agricultural settings, as the insect food source, the ARSX project added a new dimension. This approach would not so much kill two birds with one stone as it would feed many birds with one pest.

 

The project was proposed by Alex Chaskopoulou, Lee Cohnstaedt, Kiki Zinoviadou, Annie Donoghue, Brenda Oppert and Komala Arsi,

 

Markham said they have tested and improved a variety of insect trap designs, as well as looked at the captured insects to make sure they wouldn't pass pathogens up the food chain if eaten. When the design is complete, individual farmers could use the traps to feed their own livestock, or larger industrial operations might use them to export insect-based feed, according to the report.

 

Chaskopoulou said chickens appear to prefer mosquitoes to their current diet, with farmers noting that chicks were rushing to feed on the mosquitoes rather than just eating them. In contrast to feed made from]soybeans, which has a protein content of around 40%, mosquitoes are up to 63% protein. Since insects are a natural component of their diet, biologically speaking the chickens know what's best for them.

 

Cohnstaedt said there is a lot of anecdotal evidence, that when chickens have access to insects, their yolks are yellower and their eggs have a different flavour, adding that many people who keep chickens in their backyards will attest to the fact that everything tastes and looks better when chickens are fed with higher-quality proteins, minerals, and omega-3 fatty acids.

 

Zinoviadou, a food science expert, said insects generally have a very high content of chitin, a polysaccharide that can have anti-microbial activity. The mortality rate of newly hatched birds decreased almost to zero when quails were fed with mosquitoes, according to anecdotal evidence.

 

All these advantages, however, will only materialise if farmers decide to use the insect-trapping and feeding techniques the team is developing, which is a cost-based choice. The team is well aware of this and is making great efforts to make their solution usable and available. Their intention was to only use hardware store or junkyard parts in their insect traps.

 

Cohnstaedt said the benefits of converting to insects include less pesticide use, more protein, higher-quality animals, and a simpler, more circular, lower-waste environment that lowers CO2 and other environmental contaminants.

 

Cohnstaedt also said the energy typically used to spray and distribute pesticides does not result in CO2 emissions because the insects are trapped without the use of pesticides. In turn, the trapped insects provide superior nutrition for birds and ultimately humans. Waste is also reduced as a result of the insects' transformation from a pest to a resource.

 

-      US Department of Agricultur