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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Stoneville, Mississippi » Biological Control of Pests Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #417395
Research Project: Management of Aflatoxin and Other Mycotoxins in Row Crops such as Maize, Peanut, and Soybean

Location: Biological Control of Pests Research

Title: Evaluating Tenebrio molitor (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) for the remediation of fumonisin B1 levels in livestock feed

Author
item PAULK, RYAN - MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY
item Abbas, Hamed
item Rojas, Maria - Guadalupe
item Morales Ramos, Juan
item Busman, Mark
item Little, Nathan
item SHIER, WAYNE - UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA

Submitted to: Journal of Economic Entomology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/22/2024
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: The yellow mealworm is one of many insects being evaluated for its impact and importance as a component of a circular economy. One aspect of a circular economy is to reduce agricultural wastes by transformational salvage to produce safe and sustainable feed for the livestock that feed the global human population. Fumonisin B1 is the most toxic of fumonisins and is one of many mycotoxins that is a highly prevalent contaminant of corn. High levels of fumonisins in corn based feed can cause various diseases in livestock species. To safeguard livestock, contaminated corn frequently becomes agricultural waste. In this study, the yellow mealworm was examined for its ability to survive and grow on fumonisin B1 contaminated feed and become itself a safe livestock feed supplement. The insect meal produced from harvested yellow mealworm retained up to 0.5% of the fumonisin B1 from the diets they were reared on with no significant effects on growth or survivability. This study suggests that insect meal from the yellow mealworm can be safely produced from fumonisin B1 contaminated grain for application as a livestock feed supplement.

Technical Abstract: The yellow mealworm, Tenebrio molitor, L., can be an important component of the circular economy because of its ability to transform a variety of agricultural wastes and byproducts into a valuable livestock feed. Analysis of their ability to endure toxins coupled with their potential to transfer contaminants to higher trophic levels is not complete. Fumonisins, produced primarily by Fusarium verticillioides (Nirenberg, 1976) (Hypocreales: Netriaceae), are mycotoxins likely to be encountered by T. molitor in corn and other grain byproducts. Tenebrio molitor larvae were reared on a simulated diet of corn and other grain byproducts treated with a range of maximum recommended fumonisin B1 (FB1) levels for different livestock feeds. We observed that T. molitor were able to survive, grow, and reduce by excretion and metabolism their retained FB1 levels by up to 99.5% (P<0.001) compared to the diet they consumed. Unknown metabolic processes were inferred from the significantly reduced content of fumonisin B1 in the frass (63.1% to 73.2%) as compared to the diet and by the first report of long chain acylated fumonisin B1 derivatives in insect frass.