Seasonal variance of HO.RE.CA. leftovers as a feeding substrate for black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens L.) larvae

To cope with the management of bio-urban waste, the SCALIBUR project (Horizon 2020) proposes to explore innovative solutions, including the use of black soldier fly larvae (BSFL), Hermetia illucens (Diptera, Stratiomyidae) for the bioconversion of HO.RE.CA. (Hotel-Restaurants-Catering) leftovers. In this framework, the use of BSFL represents a sustainable solution, capable of addressing the solid waste problem and efficiently delivering a large amount of biomass rich in protein, fat, and chitin (Barragan et al, 2017; Liu et al, 2019; Montevecchi et al, 2019).

This report describes some of the main results of the research, in particular the evaluation of the variability in water and proteins present in the HO.RE.CA. leftovers which were withdrawn from a local canteen over a 12-month period and the relationship with (i) the growth parameters of the larvae, (ii) the reduction of the initial substrate, and (iii) the percentage of the residual substrate (frass) mechanically separated at the end of the rearing process.