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The project INSECT4CITY: assessment of benefits and risks of insect-based bioconversion for recycling bio-waste from urban and peri-urban areas

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 May 2022

Erwan Engel
Affiliation:
INRAE, Saint-Genès-Champanelle
Christelle Planche
Affiliation:
INRAE, Saint-Genès-Champanelle
Rallou Thomopoulos
Affiliation:
INRAE, Montpellier
Catherine Macombe
Affiliation:
INRAE, Montpellier
Christina Nielsen-Leroux
Affiliation:
INRAE, Jouy-en-Josas
Pascale Bazoche
Affiliation:
INRAE, Rennes
Christophe Bressac
Affiliation:
CNRS, Tours
Armel Donkpegan
Affiliation:
INRAE, Villenave d'Ornon
Bertrand Meda
Affiliation:
INRAE, Nouzilly
Samir Mezdour
Affiliation:
INRAE, Massy
Souhil Harchaoui
Affiliation:
INRAE, Rennes
Géraldine Boué
Affiliation:
INRAE, Nantes
Mustapha Berri
Affiliation:
INRAE, Nouzilly
Pascal Schlich
Affiliation:
INRAE, Dijon
Sandrine Skiba
Affiliation:
INRAE, Saint-Pée-sur-Nivelle
Isabelle Virlogeux-Payant
Affiliation:
INRAE, Nouzilly
Jean-Philippe Steyer
Affiliation:
INRAE, Narbonne,
Patrick Borel
Affiliation:
INRAE, Marseille, France
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Abstract

Type
Abstract
Copyright
Copyright © The Authors 2022

Background/Objectives

In urban and peri-urban areas, where waste management is more than ever a major issue, insect farming may be an ecological way to recycle bio-waste in a circular bioeconomy approach. Indeed, some insect species such as Hermetia illucens can grow on many types of organic substrates and can convert them into valuable byproducts(Reference Singh and Kumari1). There may be a wide variety of insect bioconversion products since larvae are a natural source of micronutrients, amino acids and antimicrobial compounds. They are also rich in proteins which can be used for animal feed, in fats used for the production of biodiesel, in chitin used in various industries, and they produce a type of manure called frass that can be used as biofertilizer(Reference Surendra, Tomberlin and van Huis2). However, besides its ecological and nutritional benefits, risks of insectbased bioconversion should be identified and monitored. Indeed, some chemical contaminants may be found in insect farming environment, in their feeding substrates or can be produced during processing methods(Reference Meyer, Meijer and Hoek-van den Hil3). Moreover, microbiological contaminants may be found in the farming insect chain(Reference Vandeweyer, De Smet and Van Looveren4). Therefore, it is necessary to assess the impact of these contaminants on insect survival and to determine their fate in the insect. It is also important to assess the environmental, social and economic impact of insect-based bioconversion and to determine the consumer acceptability of these new processes and products.

Methods

It is around this overall benefit-risk assessment that the project INSECT4CITY initiated in 2019 is focused, bringing together 8 research divisions of INRAE, the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment. It addresses, upstream of the development of this sector with very high potential, all the questions that the general public, the legislator as well as the producers of insects can ask themselves about this means of recovering biowaste.

Results

N/A

Discussion / Conclusion

N/A

Disclosure of Interest

None Declared

References

Singh, A & Kumari, K (2019) J Environ Manage 251, 109569.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Surendra, KC, Tomberlin, JK, van Huis, A et al. (2020) Waste Manag 117, 5880.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Meyer, AM, Meijer, N, Hoek-van den Hil, EF, et al. (2021) J Insects Food Feed 7, 823831.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vandeweyer, D, De Smet, J, Van Looveren, N et al. (2021) J Insects Food Feed 7, 807822.CrossRefGoogle Scholar