Services

About DISAFA: The Department of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences (DISAFA) performs research to deliver knowledge and innovation, and provide evidence-based sustainable solutions to current and future challenges. DISAFA has a strong experience in animal husbandry and animal nutrition as well as in product quality. In particular, in the fish nutrition sector, DISAFA researchers have particular experience on the use of alternative protein sources (insect, poultry by-products and vegetable meals) and lipid sources in aquafeed and their effects on growth, digestibility, product quality, intestinal health, microbiota and metabolic responses of freshwater fish species. Other expertise is related to the methods of fish slaughtering as well as the effect of stocking densities on the welfare of fish reared under organic aquaculture rules.

About the experimental farm: UNITO–INSECTS is an experimental facility for insect trials. It consists of two separate sectors: one for the black soldier fly (BSF, Hermetia illucens) and one for the yellow mealworm (YMW, Tenebrio molitor). It has 6 independent climatic rooms with controlled environmental conditions (light, T°, RH): (i) BSF reproduction room (4 × 4m), where the adult colony is maintained, and egg production performed. (ii) Hatching and weaning climatic chamber (2 × 1 × 2.5 m), where BSF eggs hatch and the first 5-6 days of insect larvae growth is performed. (iii) Room (3 × 4 m) dedicated to the YMW. (iv) Two rooms (3 × 4 m) usually dedicated to BSF larvae growth trials (5-6 days-old to the final larva stage) and to obtain insect meal and oil (BSF and YMW). (v) Room (2.9 × 6.5 × 2.9 m) to grow the larvae (BSF and YMW).

Services: UNITO–INSECTS is a unique experimental facility able to conduct trials using different organic substrates (by-products) to rear both Hermetia illucens and Tenebrio molitor, which are two of the most promising species for aquaculture feeds. Small-scale feeding trials on insect larvae will be performed and the best by-product-based diet will be used to perform a larval mass rearing. The larvae will be then processed by external insect companies to obtain a protein-rich meal. The obtained insect meal will be assessed for its digestibility and its potential to be included in diets for fish.

Bioresources available

Hermetia illucens (black soldier fly) and Tenebrio molitor (yellow mealworm), in all life stages (eggs, larvae, pupae and adults).

Support offered

Access includes scientific advice on experimental design, use of tanks (including fish supply and daily maintenance) and/or insect rooms, routine sampling and biometric measurements, conservation of samples, and access to an office with internet communication. The trials are performed under the supervision of a scientific staff and implemented by skilled technical staff. Scientific support will include advice on experimental design and methodology, and documentation of results for all the experiments conducted in the project.

Modality of access

UNITO–INSECTS: Unit of access is unit cost: rearing box/week. A typical access consists of 32 units of access (16 rearing boxes for 2 weeks), the average length of a full growth trial with BSF larvae, or about 10 days for a growth trial with YMW, typically 5 at the beginning and 5 days at the end of the experiment for f inal measurements and sampling.